Vengeance
by kwater
Summary: Dean and Sam are on a hunt, trying to stop a rash of drownings.
1. Chapter 1

Sandy stepped out of her cottage and made her way down the wooded path

Sandy stepped out of her cottage and made her way down the wooded path. Enjoying the night sounds around her, she stopped for a moment and listened to a pair of bullfrogs coming on to each other in the mild spring night.

Meandering her way along the crick, she turned up the I-pod that swung from her neck. Music pumping she danced a couple steps, enjoying the music and the freedom. She knew it was only a matter of days before, both quiet and free time became scarce commodities. She had left her roommates catching up on their bullshit, opting instead for the cool night air and the empty fairway.

She had been working at Knoebel's Amusement park for three seasons now. Every spring after she finished her finals she headed here to Elysburg, Pennsylvania to work the park for the summer. Luckily, this year she had scored onsite housing. The small cabins were located at the back of the property and were free for use, by employees. However, there weren't enough accommodations for everyone so, Sandy had been on a waiting list for the last three years.

Sharing the cabin with five other girls was tough, but it allowed her to save almost every dime she earned. She had gotten into college with no help from her family and she intended to keep it that way. Sandy had left home, the day she had accepted her diploma and she had no intention of returning.

Sighing, she veered away from the stream that cut through the park, and headed towards the rides. Soon the blacktop would be swarming with hot, sticky children and their irritated parents. Smiling slightly she jumped up onto the Merry-Go-Round, her most favorite of all the rides here at the park. The horses stilled in mid-jump, their heads thrown back, teeth bared, Sandy had been eighteen years old the first time she had sat on this same horse. She had been broke and was desperate for a job. She had stopped at the attached campground on a whim while passing through the area; it was then she had noticed a help-wanted sign. Now here she was an old hand, ready to start her fourth year.

Hopping down from the horse, she again started back towards the stream. Lost in her thoughts and her music she never noticed the shape that followed. Tossing her long brown hair back from her shoulders, Sandy stepped lightly over the bridge that crossed the stream. Veering away from the path that led towards the campgrounds she instead made her way back towards the cabins.

Stumbling slightly, Sandy paused as her ear bud fell out. Just before she went to put it, back in a noise caught her attention. Listening intently, she turned at the sound of footsteps moving through the carpet of leaves that were underfoot. Not able to see anyone at first, Sandy called out. "Hello?"

As a dark figure stepped out of the shadows, Sandy took a step back. Not familiar with the man, she nodded and began walking again. Ripping both buds out of her ears; she felt panic clawing its way down her throat as the footsteps followed. Nearly running now, she glanced over her shoulder only to see the man was holding something in his hand. As he moved towards her, a shaft of moonlight winked off the blade of a large knife. Veering off the path Sandy headed for the stream, hoping to loose the man in the darkness. Stepping down too close to the edge of the stream, her arms windmilled as the ground beneath her gave way. Falling into the icy water, she scrambled to her feet.

"No please, no don't do this. Please someone help me please." Sandy scrabbled along the bank of the river, trying to pull herself out. Shooting frantic glances over her shoulder, she could see that he was still there. Finally, in desperation, she stopped trying to climb the steep bank of the stream; and instead began following the path of the water.

It was only as she felt a white-hot pain between her shoulders; she realized he had caught her. Releasing one final scream, she fell, face first into the cold water. Her last breathe a mixture of water and silt from the bottom of the stream.

Smiling he knelt over the young girls body. He gave a merry laugh as he pulled the butcher's knife from her back. Watching as the water turned red from the blood that spilled from her body, he once again plunged the knife into her back. Again and again, the knife came up into the air and then swung down in an arc, plunging into the back of the young girl.

Finally, the knife stopped. Eyes closed the man breathed deeply, enjoying the coppery scent of the blood. His tongue darted out, to taste the spray of blood, which had landed on his lips. Grinning, eyes so wide the whites were showing, the man began to laugh. Loud, deep, belly laughs, rolled through him and he made no attempt to stop.

Standing at last, he looked down at his victim, lying facedown in the water. A mounting horror began to grow within him as he realized just what he had done. "No" he mumbled, unable to take in the sight before him. "No, not again, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry." Tears streaming down his face, he glanced all around him, expecting to find the police ready to take him back. He calmed somewhat when he realized that no one was around. His twisted mind quickly began calculating, grabbing the woman by the feet he began dragging her away. Intent on finding a nice hidey-hole to put her in, he reassured himself that this time he wouldn't be caught.

888

Standing on a wooden bridge, Dean leaned his elbows on the railing and gazed down at the water below. Ignoring the shouts, squeals and crying that surrounded him he asked Sam, "So this is where it happened."

Sam nodded standing next to Dean he gazed around at the stream below him. "Yup, three men have drowned so far this season, and its only June. Every drowning was deemed and accident."

"That water can't be more than a foot at its deepest, how the hell do three grown men drown in it?" Dean asked as carefully pulled his EMF meter from his pocket. Not getting a reading, he shut it down and slipped it back into his jacket pocket. "So Sammy, how do you want to do this one?"

Sam smiled lightly and said, "I have a plan."

Dean felt a moment's foreboding at the sight of Sam's grin. Frowning he began walking back towards the parking lot, carefully stepping around the quickly melting ice-cream cone of a now purple-faced, shrieking, little boy. "I don't know Sam, I gotta say this one might be more than we can handle."

Sam turned surprised eyes on his big brother, waiting for an explanation; he nodded to the screaming kid's mother. "What do you mean, Dean? We can handle one angry water wraith."

Dean grabbed hold of his patience with both hands, as a young girl with a set of pigtails reached out and clutched his jeans with sticky cotton candy fingers. Trying to smile, so he didn't frighten the girl he quickly looked around for a parent. Spying a frantic looking Mother, he caught her attention and pointed down at his leg.

"Oh Thank God, Sally. Don't you ever run away from Mommy again, do you understand me?" Dean watched as the woman slung the small child over a hip and grabbed the hand of another older boy. "It's not the wraith that I'm worried about Sam." Dean said picking up his pace before any other children managed to latch on.

Leaving the crowds behind as they headed for the parking lot, Dean asked. "Why do you think it's a wraith Sam?"

"Well, we've got three men, not connected in any way drowning in the same foot of water. I'll tell you it was blind luck I even noticed the deaths. The park is trying to keep things quiet. This is their busy season and they don't want bad publicity cutting down the numbers." Sam said, one step behind Dean as the brothers walked towards the car.

Climbing into the car, his voice filled with trepidation, Dean asked, "So what's the plan Sam?"


	2. Chapter 2

"No, No, No, Sammy no

"No, No, No, Sammy no." Dean stared in horror at the surrounding area. Parking in the spot, Sam indicated he again shook his head. Crossing his arms, he ground out "I'm not leaving her here. No, No, No, look around Sammy, she could get wrecked, stolen, scratched, breathed on wrong, nope not going to do it."

Sam drew in a breath, trying and failing to calm himself. "Look Dean there's no other place to stay within thirty miles. We've got to be here if we want a chance at catching that thing. Besides you've parked the car in worse places."

"Not willingly Sam" Dean stared at the tiny one room cabin before him. The parking space he'd pulled into was a tiny bit of stone leading up to the front of the cabin. The problem was that due to the length of the Impala her back end now stuck out onto the roadway behind them. While Dean sat, stubbornly refusing to meet his brother's eyes, he saw no less than three kids careen past the back end, their bikes only inches from the car's bumper. Glaring at Sam, Dean climbed out of the car, turning his back on the campsite next to them he reached into the backseat to grab out his gear. As he bent over something slammed into his back, nearly knocking him into the car's backseat.

Turning in an instant, Dean could already feel a wetness seeping down the back of his legs. Glaring he met the, oh so innocent face of a seven year old boy, who held another water balloon behind his back. The kid shrugged in the face of Dean's glare and shouted out "Sorry Mister" before turning and chasing after his friends. Dean ignored the squishing in his boots and sent Sam a glare guaranteed to wipe the smirk off his brother's face.

Sam quickly swallowed his laughter, as Dean turned to glare at him. Guessing that the better part of valor was in fact discretion, Sam merely headed towards the front door, well honestly the only door of the cabin. Walking in, he paused in the threshold, Dean stepping up next to him. Trying his best not to look dismayed Sam turned towards Dean and said, "See it's not too bad"

Dean didn't bother to stifle the growl that emanated from him, turning towards the bunk beds that lined one side of the cabin he laid his gear on the bottom one. Totally ignoring Sam, he pawed through his clothes trying to find something clean. Finally, he grabbed out a clean tee shirt and a clean pair of jeans and turned towards the room. Glancing in confusion Dean asked, "Where's the bathroom."

Sam actually swallowed, before he answered knowing the outburst that would follow. Dean had few pleasures in his life and in about five minutes time Sam had managed to step on them all. First had been the parking situation and now..."Well there is no bathroom, Dean. There's a public shower with restrooms over that way." Sam waved a hand vaguely, backing towards the door, he continued, "I'll go get us a bite to eat. Meet you back here." Sam actually shouted the last few words over his shoulder as he took off out the door and down the dirt path that connected the campground to the amusement park.

Dean stared after his brother, mouth agape. Swearing to himself that this was the last time he allowed Sam to come up with a 'plan' Dean quickly changed before heading out after his brother. There was no way he was going to sit around waiting in a room that was little more than a square box, with neither an air conditioner nor a TV. At least in the park, he had a chance of killing something, if not the wraith then who knew, maybe he would run into Sam.

888

Frank Thompson could not tear his eyes away from her. Her long black hair that hung like a curtain down her back, silk couldn't rival its shine. Her skin was tan and firm her legs long and encased in a pair of short-shorts. She wore a tank top, her arms slender and graceful, as she flitted about, teasing a group of young men that were watching avidly. Tipping back her head she laughed, a light lilting sound, at something one of the young men said.

She was perfect, he thought to himself. Just the way he liked them, young and naïve. He had tried so hard to push away the urge, for four years he had been good. Working and moving on with his life, he had honestly thought he was better. Until she had come along, it had all ended on a whim and now, he found that he not only couldn't stop he didn't want to.

It was the chase, it all began and ended with the chase. He moved slightly to the left, as a large woman blocked his view. Growling with frustration at the crowded fairway, he bumped shoulders with a man. Sparing the man a glance, he quickly noted the short haircut, solid, six-foot frame, and near military bearing. Tossing a quick sorry over his shoulder Frank quickly turned away from the man. Everything about him screamed cop, scared that he'd been found out, Frank melted back into the crowd, loosing sight of the black haired girl as he did.

888

Dean fought his way through the crowd, careful of the small children and even smaller dogs that darted this way and that. As he walked, he couldn't help but relax a bit as the familiar sights and sounds of the amusement park washed over him. He himself had never been a huge fan of amusement rides; he found the lack of control unnerving. But, Sam, well he was another story. The kid had spent a large part of their youth begging their dad to allow him to visit every and any country carnival they came across. And, it had always fallen to Dean to accompany Sam on the rides. Dean smiled at the remembrance, while in his opinion, the rides had left a lot to be desired, watching Sam act the part of a normal kid had thrilled Dean to no end. In fact, he had often added his pleas to his brothers in order to convince their dad to drop them off at the different carnivals from time to time.

While making his way through the crowd, Dean felt someone bump into him. Meeting the older man's eyes, Dean nodded at the guy's muttered apology. Continuing on, he scanned the crowd for Sam, one plus of his brother's abnormal height was the ease with which Dean could pick him out in a crowd. While scanning the crowd, Dean spotted the man that had bumped into him once more, the man was merging into a noisy crowd of people. Resisting the urge to shudder, Dean continued to watch the man a moment more.

"Dean, where are you man, I've been calling your name for an hour." Sam snapped his fingers under Dean's nose, trying to rouse his brother from his sightless stare.

Dean brushed Sam's hand away from his face, "What?"

Sam frowned at his brother, the hair on the back of his neck rising. Following Dean's glance, Sam looked for anything out of the ordinary. "What, I was calling for you, man. Did you see something?"

Dean brought his focus back to Sam, rubbing the back of his neck he shook off the unease that had gripped him for a moment, "No." Glancing once more, towards where he had seen the man disappear, Dean shook off his unease. Turning towards his brother, he growled, "Public Showers, Sam. Did you happen to look at these showers before you signed us up for 'Sleepaway Camp'? There's daddy long-legged spiders the size of hamsters in there."

Sam raised a brow, "Sleepaway Camp. When did you ever go to camp?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "You know Sammy you really are a geek. 'Sleepaway Camp' come on it's a classic, kids go to camp, and die by drowning, decapitation, bees and I even think a curling iron played a part in some poor girls death."

Sam frowned for a moment, "A curling iron, how can a girl die by a curling iron?" Sam asked.

Dean simply smirked at his brother waiting for the answer to hit him. As the blush started at the base of Sam's neck and began moving up into his face, Dean let out a guffaw. "Right so anyway, we eating or what."

Sam avoided his brother's gaze as he pointed towards a pizza booth across the way. 'I ordered us a pie already it should be up soon."

Stepping towards a table near the booth, Dean kept watch over the crowd. He hated to admit it but he always felt a bit too exposed in venues like this. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck once more, he again shook off his earlier feeling of unease.

888

Frank snaked behind the lemonade stand, hoping to avoid the young man's intense gaze. There was something about the young man's bearing that worried Frank; he had an intensity that was hard to explain away. He didn't fit the bill of an irritated father, dragging around a passel of kids, and he was alone, which suggested he wasn't with a girl. Frank's frown increased as he watched another young man join the first. A tinge of unease ran down his spine as he noticed that the other young man also seemed to exude a confidence above and beyond the average guy. Vowing to keep a closer eye on the two men, Frank once again blended in with the crowd.

888

Sam and Dean sat at a round table, with a half-eaten pie and a couple of sodas spread out before them. Taking a large bite, Dean groaned in pleasure. "Oh, that's good. Gotta say Sammy though the accommodations leave a bit to be desired, the food rocks. Look at this we got pizza, barbeque, fried potato patty's, whatever the hell they are, and pickles on a stick, all in the same thirty-foot space."

Sam smiled slightly at his brother's enthusiasm, wiping his mouth; he asked, "So what was up earlier? You seemed pretty uptight." Dean's obvious unease had taken Sam by surprise. He himself hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary but that didn't rule anything out. Dean's sixth sense was uncanny.

Dean turned, his gaze roaming the darkened sidewalks. The crowds had begun thinning out around nine o'clock and with only a half-hour until the park closed for the night, there were only stragglers, looking for last minute rides and late night snacks. "Dunno Sam, something just seemed wrong. So you wanna take a walk along the stream, who knows maybe we'll dig up something."

Sam nodded, sipping his soda "Yeah, we need to stop this thing before anyone else gets hurt." Standing he quickly gathered up their trash and tossed it. "So far the three men have been less than stellar citizens but still, we need to get this one wrapped up."

Dean nodded, tossing his own drink in the trash he said, "you said the first was a convicted sex offender right." At Sam's confirming nod Dean continued, "and the next was a college kid right?"

"Yeah, Matt Cooper, I talked to a couple of his buddies, they claim he was stepping out on no less than three different girls." Sam shrugged, "and the third was a deadbeat Dad. He was doing his best to skip out on child support."

"Great so whatever it is it's a water spirit with a conscience. God, I hate it when the ghosts go vigilante on us." Dean said as he and Sam came abreast of the stream. Walking along the bank, they met several people, out to enjoy the evening air. "This is bad news Sammy; even if we do spot this thing, what the hell can we do about it in this crowd."

Sam shrugged surprised to see the number of people walking along the water at this late hour. "Not sure Dean, we'll just have to keep patrolling. Things should continue to clear out."

Three hours later found Dean once again slapping away a mosquito. Taking on the first nights watch, he had sent Sam back to the cabin to get some sleep. He had continued walking up and down the length of the stream keeping a sharp eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Shrugging his shoulders as a feeling of unease gripped him once more, Dean went on alert. Stepping into the shadows, he proceeded to scan the whole area again. He'd had the same feeling two other times since he'd begun walking along the stream, not to mention the times inside the park.

Listening hard, he realized the normal sounds of nature had stopped. There was no more, chirping from the crickets and even the frogs along the stream seemed to have stopped their noise. Knowing that something was off, but not sure what it was, he pulled his gun from the back of his jeans, where it had rested. He felt a twinge of regret for the leather jacket that he normally wore. He had left it off simply because it was too hot, not to mention it would set him apart from the rest of the crowd. Normally, the coat would offer a multitude of weapons choices, from his bowie knife to holy water, stripped of it, as he was, he had only the gun, and a small silver knife strapped to his lower leg.

Careful to keep the gun out of plain view, Dean began retracing his steps. As he rounded a grouping of trees, he noticed a woman. She had long dark hair, her eyes were a deep dark brown, and her skin was pale, tinged with pink along her high cheekbones. She seemed to be crying, a steady line of tears made tracks down her cheeks. His unease forgotten for a moment, Dean stepped towards her, his intention to offer comfort.

Sam had awoken to the sound of his watch alarm going off. Slipping into a pair of jeans and a clean tee shirt, he left the cabin. Heading down the hill towards the park and the stream, he stretched, reaching his arms far over his head. Although he'd had nearly four hours of sleep it seemed as if he'd just laid down moments ago. Though the feeling might have something to do with the fact that he'd had to climb up onto the top bunk, and once spread out on the hard mattress, he'd realized that his feet hung over the edge by a good bit. It had taken close to an hour to finally fall asleep and even then he'd been plagued by odd dreams. He vowed the next night he would simply throw the mattress on the floor and call it a bed, rather than bother with the bunk. At least that way he didn't have to be concerned about rolling off.

Once near the stream, Sam quickly scanned the area, trying to spot Dean. Unable to see his brother, he picked a direction and began walking. As he rounded a bend, he saw Dean in front of him, studying something intently. Calling out to him, Sam was surprised when Dean didn't even acknowledge him. Hurrying a bit, he drew closer, following Dean's gaze, he saw a woman, not more than a few steps in front of Dean. Confusion clouded Sam's features as he regarded his brother and the young woman. Again, calling his brother's name Sam moved closer, pulling out his gun once he noticed that the woman's feet weren't touching the ground. Bringing the gun up, he took aim, not willing to allow the woman to hurt Dean. But, she simply stood there, not trying to entice Dean or harm him, after a moment she simply disappeared. Moving towards his brother once again, Sam couldn't help but ask, "What the hell was that."


	3. Chapter 3

"Beat's me but I'm thinking it can't be good

"Beat's me but I'm thinking it can't be good." Dean said wiping a hand across his face, feeling long past tired and now bordering on used up. He had driven nearly eighteen hours straight, after Sam had found the gig; neither brother had wanted anyone else to get hurt. Well mission accomplished, but now that he'd come face to face with Casper, he was done. The adrenaline that had pumped through his body at the sight of her had now abandoned him and had left him even more exhausted than he had been before.

"I'm gonna get some sleep, Sam. I'll meet you back in the cabin."

Focusing his eyes on the spot the girl had vanished from, he shook his head, he said, "I don't get it Dean, I was all over the newspaper reports and police files and no where did it mention a woman dying. No suicides, murders, or accidents up until the men drowned. So who is she?"

Dean shrugged, "Don't know Sam, but we'll figure it out." Turning his back on his brother, Dean lifted one hand in salute, calling over his shoulder, "I'm going to go see if I can manage a shower without being sucked dry by mosquitoes."

Sam could hear his brother's mumbling as he continued up the hill. Sam turned towards the water once more, thinking about how badly he was going to owe, Dean by the time this hunt was finished. Making a mental note to find the nearest decent motel with cable and maybe even a magic fingers bed, Sam began patrolling.

Dean made his way up the hill silently, trying not to disturb the sleeping forms in tents that lined the path. Other than the occasional dog, he managed to make his way quietly to the cabin for his clothes and then to the showers that were stationed in a building nearby.

Opening the shower door, Dean noticed a bench on the right. Setting his clean clothes and a towel, he had nicked from some long-ago motel; on the bench, he began stripping. Careful not to touch the walls of the narrow stall, he hadn't been kidding about the size of the spiders, he pressed the knob and stepped under the flow of hot water. Flexing the muscles in his back and shoulders, he finally allowed himself to relax.

That is until the moment when the water cut out. Cursing a blue streak, as a gust of wind sneaked under the shower door causing goose bumps to break out all over his body, Dean once again pushed the shower knob. Of all the crap places that they had stayed, this place was going to rank first. No longer able to enjoy his shower, Dean set about just trying to get clean. Standing under the nozzle with a face full of soap and no spray sent him cursing again, though. Then, after he managed to find the handle and push it on once more, he spent ten minutes trying to wash the soap out of his mouth. Finally, reasonably clean, Dean began toweling off, twice dropping his shorts in the puddle of water caused by the shower. Cursing Sam, this job, Sam, the campground, Sam, the great state of Pennsylvania and Sam, he finally managed to get dressed and out the door. Heading back for the cabin, Dean paused every sense he possessed screaming that something was wrong. Turning he studied the night carefully, trying to locate what had caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

After a moment the feeling began to fade, careful to keep an eye out anyway he continued making his way towards the cabin. Once inside he climbed into bed, letting out a frustrated sigh, at the hard mattress, he closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.

888

Frank stepped back into the shadows, cursing to himself. His eyes focused on the young man that had just emerged from the bathrooms. It had taken all afternoon and a large part of the evening to find and track his earlier prey to this group of tents. She was inside, he knew, sleeping in a bright pink, sleeping bag, emblazoned with a picture of a princess. Frank sneered at how soundly she slept, he snorted, well she wouldn't feel quite so confident if she knew just how close he'd come to grabbing her earlier, when she'd made a trip to the bathroom. Unfortunately, he had been interrupted that time as well, when a taller, shaggy haired, man, had suddenly appeared walking down the path, heading towards the park. He had recognized the young man, and had slinked back into the shadows to avoid being seen. Though the younger man didn't seem as dangerous as the older man, Frank had no doubt that crossing the kid would be a mistake.

Frank's thoughts were drawn back to the here and now as he watched the man with the close-cropped hair come within feet of him. A feeling of trepidation came over him, as the man stopped and peered around intently. He stood, careful not to make a sound as the young man continued to study the area. Finally, Frank released a pent up breathe as the young man went on his way. Backing away from the girl and her unknowing protector Frank decided that the she would have to wait. At least until tomorrow, after all it wouldn't do to get caught again. No, it wouldn't do at all.

Making his way to the small, worn looking, bungalow he shared with four other men, he let himself in, careful not to make a sound. He had been spending his summers in this same cabin for three years now and he found it suited him just fine. Heading into the bedroom he shared with a man named Marty, he quickly and quietly stripped down to his shorts. Climbing into bed, he found himself unable to sleep. Trying to thrust away thoughts of what might have been, if he hadn't been prematurely interrupted, Frank willed himself to sleep. Mornings began early here, whether you wanted them to or not. Frank was on the morning crew, which meant he had exactly three hours each morning to get the park into top shape. As much as he enjoyed his job, he found that lately, his focus had been wavering. Thoughts of the girl he had killed, plus an overwhelming urge to do it again, kept him from doing his best at work.

He had always prided himself at being the best at his job, and he wasn't about to slack off now. Years ago, when he had come to the park looking for work, he'd used an assumed name. He knew that if anyone knew who he really was he would find himself behind bars quicker than he could blink. After all, though he had been desperately trying to forget about Tucson and Maria, that didn't mean anyone else had. At first he found it difficult to make friends, after all he couldn't allow anyone to get too close. But he'd quickly learned that most of the people that worked here year in and year out, also had things to hide. Moreover, most were reluctant to share their own stories. So, they asked few questions and were content to keep things light. Within a month, he had blended right in. Yeah, everything had been great until two months ago. That's when he'd seen her walking alone by the stream

Oh, he knew who she was, even in a park this big, after three years you manage to run into just about everyone. But he hadn't realized just how much she resembled Maria until he'd seen her dancing to some tune in the moonlight. Gripped by a desire so strong he couldn't ignore it, he'd gone after her. And now, well now, it was all he thought about, all he dreamed about. Then this afternoon, he had seen that girl, and he had again been struck by desire. She would be the one he thought; she would be the one to stop the urge. Once he was finished with her, he would get his life back. Peace would once again be his and he could go back to living his lie. Yeah, he thought as he drifted off to dreams of blood and screaming, she would be the one.

888

Sam waited until the sun had risen before he made his way towards the cabin. Forgoing a shower in favor of sleep, he entered the cabin as quietly as possible. Taking a moment to glance down at Dean, who was sleeping soundly, he sighed and climbed up onto the top bunk. Folding his arms across his waist, Sam tried to ignore the fact that his feet and his elbows hung over the bed's edge, instead he allowed his exhaustion to take over.

"Come on Sammy, rise and shine. You can't sleep the day away."

Sam awoke to the sound of his brother's voice. Squinting from the early morning sun, Sam rolled over, "give me a couple more minutes." Was what he had intended to say, instead all that came out was a yell, as he plummeted over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. He lay there for a moment trying desperately to remember all the reasons why he loved his brother, rather than focusing on the fact that the Ass was now laughing so hard, he sprayed coffee out of his nose. Pushing himself to his feet, Sam merely glared at Dean, proud of himself for not strangling his older sibling outright.

Dean didn't bother to contain the chuckles that gripped him every time he replayed the vision of his brother falling off the top bunk and onto the floor. Feeling content that he had now gotten revenge for Sam's mounting list of infractions on this job, Dean took pity and handed Sam his coffee. "You okay man?"

Sam pushed his hair out of his face, "I'd be better if you managed to ask that question without sniggering."

Dean simply grinned and took a sip of his coffee. "Well, you'll be glad to know that I've located us a place to eat that's equipped with wi-fi. We can do some digging and get a bite to eat, so let's go."

Sam rubbed his neck, and took a sip of his coffee, "Okay just let me grab a quick shower, and then we'll get out of here."

Dean couldn't suppress the smile that came to his lips, trying not to laugh outright, he simply said, "No problem."

Watching as his brother gathered up a few things, Dean followed him out onto the porch of the cabin, taking a seat in a beat up rocking chair that had seen better days, he watched as his brother headed for the showers. Positioning his chair so that he would have a birds eye view of Sam's shower stall, Dean waited, a grin on his face for what he knew would happen next. As he had anticipated, a curse rang out from the shower, Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rocker, content to wait.

"A Burger King, Dean. I mean come on I'm getting a little old for the play set don't you think?" Sam grumbled as Dean pulled into the parking lot of the fast food restaurant.

Dean shook his head, deciding that any response to that inquiry was simply too easy instead, he said, "It's the only place in town that's got wireless Sam. Unless you fancy trying to find the nearest local library this is going to have to do it."

After parking, the two men emerged from the car, and headed into the bright lights of the restaurant. Wincing a bit, Dean said "I'll get us a bite and you get started the quicker we figure out who our ghost girl is, the quicker we can put this place in our rearview."

Sam nodded, already pulling his laptop from his bag. Settling down in a booth, at the back of the room, he began searching.

Dean sipped the last of his coffee his gaze, straying towards the play set that, was walled off behind a pane of glass. There were several youngsters in there whooping it up and having a ball. Gazing fondly at the kids, Dean asked, "any luck yet Sam."

Sam lifted his head, "No none, no one's been reported missing, hell near as I can figure, no one's ever gone missing from the entire town of Elysburg, let alone the park. I do think I know what we're dealing with though."

Dean looked on with interest as Sam turned the laptop towards him, leaning forward he read "a Rusalka, really."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, when a woman dies an unnatural or violent death near water, she returns to that spot, trying to lure men to the water, and in turn drowning them. The only way to stop her is by avenging her death."

"Well," Dean drawled, "ain't that a bitch. How the hell are we supposed to avenge her death when we don't even know who she is, let alone how she died."

Sam shrugged, "beats me, all I know is nothing else will stop her, she'll just keep killing. One good thing though is the stream itself. Apparently the only thing that stops a Rusalka is fern, and luckily it grows all along the stream bed except..."

"Except near the bridge where the men were found, great. Well at least that'll narrow down the field we have to patrol." Dean finished his coffee and stood. "We're going to have to start asking around. We'll start with the staff, see if anyone knows anything and just isn't talking."


	4. Chapter 4

Dean stood by the ride named the Flyer, watching the side-to-side motion of its flying cars

Dean stood by the ride named the Flyer, watching the side-to-side motion of its flying cars. Feeling a bit nauseas he swallowed and forced his attention back to the attendant that waited for the ride to stop. "So you must get a lot of kids through here, looking for work?"

The grizzled old man, nodded, "Yup, you'd be surprised though, most of them are regulars."

Dean raised an eyebrow, again dragging his attention from the ride. "Regulars?"

"Yup, that's what we call the full-timers. You know the ones that come back every year. This is a pretty good place to work, most kids stay for about four years."

Dean nodded, motioning the kids behind him to take his place, as he watched the ride come to a stop. Watching as the attendant, set about helping people off and on, he motioned more people to go in front of him. As the cars filled Dean stood waiting until the man came back to his spot.

"Ain't you riding kid." The man asked his smile showing a few blackened teeth.

Dean raised a brow at being called kid, though, he figured he probably was a kid compared to the old man. "I'm in no rush. So you mentioned you get kids for four years, why's that."

"Because of the college, of course, we've got kids from Bloomsburg and a few others. Good kids looking to make a little money and have a little fun." The old man blew out a breath, "Yeah we get some good kids alright. Course we also get trekkers from time to time."

Dean again, waved kids on ahead of him, opting to stay firmly planted on the ground. "So trekkers would be, who?" Dean asked in confusion.

"Well, now trekkers are guys that come by now and again, work for a while and then go live off the money they've made. Some are ex-carney's, some are just wanderers looking for a steady paycheck. They'll come and go in a season, most are regulars meaning we see them from time to time, but there's no guarantee how long they'll be here." The old man moved away again, loading and unloading his charges. Once he had returned and started the ride again, he continued. "Now most of those guys are older, work in maintenance, sanitation and such, then you've got the senior contingency, like me. I'm here to supplement my social security, I like the job, the wage ain't bad and I'm working in the sun, instead of behind some counter asking people if they want fries with that." The old man slapped a hand on his knee and roared with laughter at his own joke.

Dean smiled and nodded, "Take it easy, man." Turning he began walking away from the ride, confident that he had gotten a couple leads. He just needed to find Sam and see what he had dug up. Being a bit younger, Dean had sent Sam off to chat up the college girls that seemed to work in droves here. He couldn't help but hope that Sam managed to meet some pretty little thing in the process. All work and no play made for a very dull, not to mention annoying, Sam. Smiling a bit at a couple of girls himself, Dean couldn't help but be impressed by the shear volume of pretty girls that made up the majority of the staff. He knew that it was going to make it that much harder for them to find the missing girl. Dean tipped a wink at a young blonde working the lemonade stand, sighing, he decided he'd just have to begin by questioning the staff. Yup, he thought as he turned his attention to the crowd searching for his freakishly tall brother, he might have to spend hours in the company of beautiful young girls in search for their mystery victim.

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Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes, as the pretty, blonde girl he was speaking with again mentioned how much she loved tall guys. He found himself wondering why, after all the girl was tiny, not an inch over five feet if he had to guess. Any girl that short did nothing for him, nothing other than give him a crick in the neck that is. Smiling slightly he repeated his question, "So you know all the girls that work here pretty well?"

Sally looked up at the tall, gorgeous, guy in front of her and smiled even brighter. Batting her eyelashes a bit more, she vowed to make him hers, if only for the night. Sticking her chest out even farther she said, "I know everyone around here, if you want I could show you around. Like I said I love being..."

Sam frowned in concern as Sally's words trailed off, her jaw dropped open, and her expression became one of awe. Sam turned his head and followed the girl's line of sight. He was unsurprised to see Dean making his way through the crowded thoroughfare. With a smile of relief, he gauged Sally's obvious interest in his brother. Pushing her forward a bit he propelled her towards Dean. "Dean this is Sally, Sally my brother." Sam grinned at the predatory gleam that came into Dean's eyes as he took in the pretty blonde. "Dean, Sally here offered to help us locate our friend."

Dean glanced up at Sam, tempted to take his brother up on his offer. He knew that Sam was trying to pawn the young girl off on him so he could avoid becoming involved with her. Dean debated whether he should bail him out, as Sam so obviously wanted him to. Well hell, Dean thought as he took one look at the puppy eyes Sam was shooting his way. Holding out his hand to the girl, Dean flashed a smile, and drew her close to his side. Sending a wink towards Sam, Dean led the girl away.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his brother leading the aggressive blonde away. It's not that Sam wasn't interested, after all he was alive. It simply came down to not being willing to share a part of himself with someone he had nothing in common with. He wanted more out of a relationship; though he knew for Dean, it was the opposite. His brother had no interest in sharing anything of himself. Not the real Dean, not the part of him he allowed only Sam to see. No that side of Dean was kept hidden from all and one-night stands made that easy.

Sam allowed the crowd to absorb him, meandering this way and that with no real destination in mind. He knew it would be a couple hours before he heard from Dean, unless he learned something urgent. That left Sam with time to kill, deciding to find a bite to eat he headed for the one restaurant in the whole park. The day had become hot and the thought of sitting down in an air-conditioned restaurant appealed to him.

Relieved to find that the hordes of mid-day diners had already thinned out, Sam was able to nab a corner seat in the western style restaurant. In moments, he had himself settled in, laptop open and had begun researching the area for any mention of missing persons.

"So, what can I get you?"

Sam glanced up at the pretty brunette and was taken back. Her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, her face devoid of makeup; she stood before him a small smile hovering about her mouth as if she had a secret. Smiling he sat back and picked up the menu he had left unopened on the table. Glancing down he quickly scanned the contents before ordering a sandwich and coke.

Karen couldn't help but sigh a bit as she walked away from the young man, after taking his order. It wasn't often a guy like that came in here alone, nope, not often at all. Usually the male half of her customers consisted of Dads. Dads that stared at her chest, dads that screamed at their kids, and dads that seemed to stare as if slightly stunned by the sheer noise their offspring were able to make. Yup, Mr. Young Dark and Handsome was definitely a bit of a pick-me up. Planning to lord her handsome customer over the other waitresses, Karen headed towards the kitchen intending to place his order.

Sam's concentration had completely abandoned him, instead of using the laptop to research, he was using it to hide the fact he couldn't stop his eyes from following her. Karen's sweet smile and wide-open gaze had somehow managed to penetrate his normally well ordered mind. Now instead of searching the missing person's reports he was watching as she flitted about the room, bringing food, and drinks to customers. Every time he managed to focus on the computer screen her laugh would bring his gaze back to her slim, athletic body.

"Here you go one turkey club on whole wheat with a side of fries." Karen set the food in front of the young man, her eyes glancing at the computer screen before him.

Sam noticed her gaze and quickly closed the lid to his computer.

"Looks good, thanks."

Karen couldn't help fussing with the table a bit, picking up a discarded straw wrapper, wiping a water ring from the table.

"So are you here with your family?" Karen asked as she wiped a non-existent speck from the tabletop.

Sam was so captivated by the faint blush that rose in the girl's cheeks he barely registered her question. "Yeah."

Karen's heart plummeted back to earth at his words, nodding politely she moved away from the table. Damn, leave it up to her to start flirting with a married guy. She was always so careful to do no more than be polite to the guys that always seemed so intent on hitting on her.

Sam watched as Karen turned abruptly and began walking away. Searching his mind for what might have turned her off; he recalled what he had just said. Cursing himself he shouted out, "He's my brother." Wincing a little as his voice echoed through the room, he couldn't hide his smile when she turned towards him with an answering smile.

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Dean slipped his boots on, careful not to make a sound. He didn't want to risk waking the woman that lay in the bed behind him. It wouldn't be the first time, he slipped out of a room, quiet as a shadow. And he admitted to himself with a grin, it surely wouldn't be the last. Heading for the trailers, sliding door, he slipped out into the bright moonlit night. Breathing deep, he picked up his pace a bit and pulled out his phone intent on tracking down Sam.

Within moments, he was nearing the bridge where the victims had drowned, without thought he strode across the bridge, holding the ringing phone to his ear. Tension eased from Dean's shoulders at his brother's greeting.

"Where are you Sammy?"

Sam stood up from the table, holding one finger up to Karen he stepped away from her and answered.

"I'm at the restaurant, how about you."

Dean grinned, "Is it still open, I'm starving."

Sam grinned at his brothers never ending hunger. "Yeah, come on over. We're going to have to patrol soon; you might as well eat here."

"Order me a burger, and see if they've got any of those pickle things. I love those damn things."

Sam rolled his eyes, covered the mouthpiece of the phone, and asked Karen "Is it too late to get my brother a burger and some fries?"

Karen smiled and said, "Nope, I'll go put the order in. Is he on his way?"

Sam nodded, "Thanks." Lifting the receiver to his ear once more he told Dean.

"You're good to go. What'd you find out?"

Dean picked up his pace, the call of food putting a spring in his step. "Plenty, wait till I fill you in, I think I may have a lead on the girl. Did you get me a pickle, cause I just passed by one of those..." Dean never finished his statement, as a loud splash interrupted his train of thought. Turning, he scanned the area; it took only moments for him to pick out a figure splashing through the nearby stream. Already on the run, he lifted the phone to his ear, ignored his brother's questions, and said, "Get to the bridge Sam." Flipping the phone closed he ran in earnest towards what he could now see was the figure of a man lying face down in the water.

Stumbling down the embankment, arms windmilling to help his balance Dean didn't spare a glance for the ghostly apparition that floated at the far side of the stream. Instead, he splashed into the water, grabbed the shoulders of the lifeless body, and heaved. Unable to budge the man, Dean braced his legs and again pulled, all the while calling for help, hoping that Sam heard him.

Sam was already heading for the door before the word bridge left Dean's mouth. Running through the crowded street, he cursed himself for assuming that the woman would only make her move after midnight. Not caring that he was knocking people aside, Sam could only hope that he made it in time to save not only the victim but also his brother.

Dean gathered the last of his strength and again tried to pull the man from the stream. Cords of muscle stood out in relief on his forearms from the strain. Releasing a low growl, he heaved once more, managing to get the man's face up and out of the water. He felt a fissure of relief move through him at the gasping sound coming from the victim. Determined not to let another man die, he maintained the pressure, pulling him a bit farther away from the water. Suddenly he felt the man in his arms once again, pulled towards the water. It was if the man was a magnet and the water was a piece of steel and Dean was unable to separate the two any longer.

Moments later Sam spotted the lady floating above the bank of the stream first. He wondered at the miracle that no one else seemed to notice her. Leaping down the bank, he ignored his brother's struggle and flung himself up the far bank. At the last moment, just before he would have bowled the woman over, had she been solid flesh, he pulled out a small, white cylindrical shaped object. One twist released the top and he flung the salt at the ghostly figure. Ignoring the creatures pained scream Sam turned towards Dean, as she disappeared in a fog of smoke.

As the body under his hands was released, Dean went flying backwards, landing hard on his backside, water encasing the lower half of him. Scrabbling forwards on his hands and knees, he easily flipped the man, pulling him out of the water. Laying him on the bank of the river, he allowed Sam to push him aside as his younger brother set about determining if the man still lived. As Sam began resuscitation, Dean was relieved to hear a harsh cough, followed by a hacking sound as the unknown man began emptying the water out of his body.

Dean kept his eyes peeled. He and Sam had already been caught unawares once tonight, he didn't intend to let it happen again. Pushing himself to his feet, he studied his surroundings; though the fog had disappeared, he was sure that the woman would be back and more determined than ever.

It took a good half hour to explain to the park's medics and security guards just what had happened. For better or worse the man, whose name was Clive Baker, was so drunk that his incoherent ramblings about a beautiful woman were ignored. The Winchesters kept their tale short and sweet and were allowed to move on. Boots squelching with every step, they made their way towards the cabin. Both men intent on getting dry and then getting back to the stream, neither one wanted to risk another attack.

"Any luck finding out who the girl is Dean?" Sam asked as they let themselves into the tiny cabin.

Dean kicked off his wet boots and moved towards his bag, pulling out dry clothes he said, "Yeah, I've got three to work with. All three women, left without notice and Sally was surprised by all three disappearances."

Sam nodded "Well I've got to get back to the restaurant I left my computer there. You get back to the river and I'll meet you."

Dean headed for the door, intending to fight the campground insect population for the shower, turning to Sam at the last minute he grinned and said, "Bring me my burger..." Leaving the room he called over his shoulder, "And don't forget my pickle."


	5. Chapter 5

Karen locked the double doors

Karen locked the double doors. She grasped the handles, pulling to ensure they were locked. It had been a busy day, then again Saturday's always were. Usually she welcomed the crowds, after all, time always seemed to fly when she was busy. Today, however, the day couldn't have finished quickly enough. Well, at least the time after she had met Sam.

Reaching up, she undid her long brown hair. Shaking her head a bit, she ran her fingers through it, hoping it didn't smell like grease. Although Sam hadn't promised anything, Karen was hoping he'd stop by to walk her home. She had made it clear what time she was off, and after the way they'd hit off earlier, well, her hopes were high.

As she stepped away from the building, heading toward the main drag, she glanced down at her watch and noted that it was already after 10:30. She'd gotten stuck closing on her own, and it had taken a bit longer than usual. Glancing around, Karen noted just how deserted the fairway was, sighing a bit, she also noticed that Sam was nowhere in sight. Oh, well, she thought, it's not as if he said he'd be here.

As Karen neared the bridge, she shivered. Sam had stopped in earlier to explain why he'd bolted, and had told her about the attempted suicide. Her glance slid toward the water, up until now she'd paid little attention to the deaths. After all, it wasn't uncommon for suicide to spread like a malignant disease, planting its poison in people who felt they had little to live for and nothing left to loose. Though, lately it seemed as if it was becoming too common, especially in a place where people came to have fun.

Karen pulled her gaze from the water once more, and headed down the path that led to the employee housing. As she did, her thoughts once again slipped to the young, shaggy haired man she'd met earlier. Her mind was a million miles away, as she continued down the path, the moon lighting her way.

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Dean groaned in relief as he caught sight of Sam walking out of the shadows. In his hands, he carried a white Styrofoam box, his computer bag was slung over one shoulder.

Not bothering to wait, Dean moved to grab the box out of Sam's hands. Throwing up the lid, he groaned at the site of the burger that lay within. His mouth watering at the sight of the food, he took a huge bite, closing his eyes in pleasure.

"Damn Sam. What'd you have to do, go kill the cow yourself?" Dean moved toward one of the benches that lined the creek and took a seat. While he waited for his brother's response, he took another bite.

He almost missed the look that flashed across his brother's face, almost. "Sam, why'd it take you so long?" There it was again, Dean noticed, a look.

Dean's keen gaze studied Sam for a moment, taking in his brother's lightly flushed cheeks and the way he avoided Dean's eyes. A huge grin broke across the older man's face. "So, what's she look like?" Dean could see his brother scrambling to avoid answering.

Regardless of what Sam thought, he was unable to hide much from his brother. Dean always knew when something was up and right now something was definitely up.

"Come on Sam, you might as well spill, you know I won't stop until you do." At Sam's continued silence, Dean bated him. "Remember Eileen Hubert?"

Sam was now blushing in earnest. His gaze was fixed on the creek as if he stood sentry, but Dean knew he really wasn't seeing the creek. No, most likely his geek brother was remembering how at the age of seventeen, he'd come home from a late night with Eileen Hubert only to find Dean waiting for him, in the kitchen.

Sam had let himself into the darkened kitchen of the rundown apartment they'd been renting. His sigh of relief at the darkened room, the only noise. Well, at least that was until he heard his brother's voice come out of the darkness. As Dean flipped on the light, Sam had been momentarily blinded by the brightness. Unable to cover up his disheveled state, he'd mumbled something, kept his eyes glued to his feet and had tried to bluff his way out of the room.

Dean was standing before him in a blink, one hand resting lightly on Sam's chest. "Come on Sam, spill."

And, after fifteen minutes of Dean's taunts, questions and presumptions, Sam did. He sat at that table for an hour, his gaze glued to hands, unable to meet his brother's eyes. Although his embarrassment at talking to Dean about his sex life was acute, his relief at being able to work through his feelings had helped make it worth it. Finally, Dean had offered a bit of advice, some brotherly ribbing, and a beer. It had been the first time they had talked about woman over beers, but certainly not the last.

Dean's musings snapped back to the present as he waited for Sam to confess what was going on.

Sam shifted a bit, almost like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Rifling his shaggy hair, he finally sighed and said, "It's nothing really, I just kinda met someone."

Dean grinned, not bothering to swallow his bite of pickle first. "Okay, Sammy. I'm all ears, lay it on me. I want all the juicy details."

Sam rolled his eyes, and moved toward his brother. Dropping his lanky frame onto the bench in front of Dean, he asked, "Don't you think we'd be better off discussing the case, Dean."

Dean knew a diversion when he heard one. "Alright then, case first and Sammy's love life second." Leaning in, he asked, "So what'd she have to say?"

Sam ignored the pointed remark and began to go over all he'd learned about the park. "I heard the same thing you did. Three girls started the season, and now all three are gone. Though I'm pretty sure the one..." Sam dug into his computer bag, pulling out his notebook. Rifling through the pages, he continued, "I'm pretty sure that Carrie Anne Shoenmeier left because she was pregnant. Apparently, she went home to her folks. That'll be easy enough to verify. As for Sandy Davis and Cora Hoke, no one seems to have a clue."

Dean pushed away the remains of his meal, and nodded. "Yeah, I got the same info. Though Sally didn't know that Carrie Anne went home, she did say that Cora was offered an internship and had decided to take it. Some ad agency in Philadelphia."

"Okay, again easy enough to check out. So it looks as if we want to spend our time focusing on Sandy, she seems to have just disappeared."

"Yeah, good we'll go back to Burger King in the morning and see what we can find. Now let's here it, Sam. Who is she, what's she look like, and how far'd you get?"

Sam couldn't stop a snort of laughter from escaping, even though he knew it would only encourage his brother. "Her name is Karen. I met her at the restaurant. She's pretty and we only talked."

"Talk, Damn, Sam, do you ever do anything with a girl but talk?"

Sam ignored his brother's retort, and tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "She's about to get off work." he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Dean smiled even broader and stood up. Handing his brother his trash, he turned toward the creek. "Go on, get out of here. Walk the poor girl home or something. I've got this covered."

Sam stood uncertainly for a moment. He was torn between staying to keep an eye on Dean, and spending more time with Karen.

"Go, Sam, go now. You can come back and spell me later."

"Thanks, Dean."

"Yeah, just get out of here." Dean glanced over his shoulder for a moment, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "And don't come back too soon. If I'm going to miss sleep over some girl, then you better be doing a bit more than talking."

Sam ignored his brother's parting remark and headed back towards the restaurant. He was pretty sure Karen would be headed home already, but he figured, he'd track her down starting there.

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He watched her from the shadows. Her long, dark, hair shone in the light of the moon, her body was sleek and strong. She walked with a spring in her step, as if her soul was simply too light at the moment to trudge along.

He'd thought it was over, he'd thought he could control it. He was wrong. This time he thought, this time would end it, then he'd be able to go back to his life. After all, wasn't that what he wanted. To once again, return to his normal life, that's what she'd taken from him, after all.

His eyes seemed to loose focus, he began to pant. His thoughts bombarding him, the voices that he tried to ignore reached a near deafening level.

It was always the same, he offered her everything, everything he had and everything he was. And still she walks away from him, turning her back on him. Taking and taking until he was only a shell of the man he'd been. Taking and taking until she forced him to act, to stop her from taking what little of him was left. He would stop her this time, he'd stop her once and for all.

His hand clenched around the wooden handle, he held. A spasm of anger flashed across his normally mild features. He could feel his anger rising like a wave, gathering force, and like a wave there was not stopping it. His only choice was to ride it to it's culmination. Without realizing it, he began moving forward, the voice in his head drowning out all other noise.

How dare she turn away, how dare she leave him. She was his world, his reason for living. No, he thought, not this time. This time he'd show her he was the boss. This time would be different.

He surged forward, his vision nothing more than a red haze. His approach was swift and silent, reaching out one work roughened hand, he spun her around. A feeling of power swept through him, as he watched the expressions that flashed across her face. Confusion was first and foremost, then recognition, quickly followed by fear, as he raised the blade he held in his hand.

In an instant the blade fell. The force of his blow drove the blade through cloth, skin, muscle, bone, and finally piercing her heart.

Removing the blade, he soaked up her terror, her fear, allowing her emotions to ease and finally erase, the ache he felt in his heart. Finally, he was free, free from the hurt, the pain that was his near constant companion. Free at last, he gave a gleeful cry. As he raised the knife once more, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, as he stabbed again and again.

It was the pain in his shoulder that finally stopped him, an ache that seemed bone deep. Frank pushed himself upward with shaking hands. Unable to look directly at the lifeless body beneath him, he stood all the way up. Glancing around**(,)** he breathed deeply, trying to calm the racing beat of his heart. He knew he needed to move and move now.

Although it was late, the park was open and anyone could pass by. Distaste evident on his face, Frank quickly lifted the girl into his arms. As he made his way into the woods, he moved through the thick layer of leaves lying on the ground. Not too concerned about the noise he was making, after all, he was far from both the campers and the employees, he found a slight indentation in the ground. Pushing away the leaves and digging out the rich soil, he made a trench to lay the body in. After placing her in the depression, he then covered her over. Confident that he'd hidden the body well enough for now. After all, it's not as if anyone would ever miss her.

Intent on finishing as quickly as possible, Frank made his way back to the park. Careful to keep watch he, moved back to the scene of the crime. Luckily, the girl had bled out to the right of the forest floor. He quickly made short work of covering up the already rust brown stains, with a new layer of leaves and dirt.

After a bit, he stood back admiring his handiwork. He was fairly certain no would ever notice, and really even if they did there was nothing to tie him to this place. He'd left his knife with the body for now, and all that was left, was to get cleaned up. He'd use the public shower for that, they were always deserted this time of night. Heading off into the darkness, Frank felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. Maybe, he thought, he'd be fine from here on out. Maybe now the voices would leave him alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam glanced at his watch, noting the time

Sam glanced at his watch, noting the time. His long legs eating up the distance, he picked up speed as he went. He knew that Karen had gotten off at ten o'clock. It was a quarter to eleven, now. Certain he must have missed her, he bypassed the restaurant all together, and headed for the employees path. Earlier in the day, he had noticed the path that snaked along the base of one of the park's rollercoasters. At lunch today, he had asked Karen where the path led, and she had told him it went to the cabins.

She had gone on to explain about the employee housing. Karen had mentioned she shared a house with four other girls. One of whom had taken off only a week into the new season. That's where Sam was headed now, he was hoping to find her at home.

Sam turned off the main path and crossed a small bridge. As he passed by the rollercoaster, he headed for the trail that ran along the base of Twister, one of the park's giant rollercoasters.

Ignoring the employee's only sign, he continued to follow the path. A lattice pattern of shadows was cast on the ground, compliments of the coaster's wooden framework. In and out of the moonlight Sam walked, silently rehearsing what he would say to Karen when he found her.

As he left the shadow of the coaster, he headed toward the woods. Just before he entered the forest, another man passed him. The older man was walking in the opposite direction. He wore a dark colored uniform and a cap that read, maintenance. As he passed, he tipped Sam a nod. Sam absently returned the gesture.

A moment later, Sam felt a shiver of unease snake down his spine. Unsure of the cause, but unwilling to ignore it, Sam walked on for a moment. Slipping into the shadows of the trees, he turned his gaze searching the path for the man. He was gone. Sam glanced up and down the path, wishing he had paid more attention. He was certain, the maintenance man was the cause of his unease. Sam, trained to follow his instincts, moved down the dimly lit walkway, his eyes focused on the ground before him. As he walked, his every instinct shouted at him that something was wrong. Unfortunately, in the weak, yellow light cast by fixtures attached to the trees above, Sam found nothing.

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Sam felt his frustration reach new levels, as he once again began searching the trail. Something wasn't right and he knew it. He could feel it pulling him, he just couldn't see it. Years of hunting with his father and later with Dean, had taught him to trust his instincts. So, he continued on, searching the path for any sign that something was wrong.

Several times, he even had his phone out, his finger on speed dial. His intention, was to have Dean help with the search, his problem was that would leave the Rusalka unwatched. It was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

So he started over, using his flashlight, he swept the beam back and forth along the trail. He began his search where he'd first seen the man, and ended it where the path suddenly became pavement with houses lining either side.

Twice he did this without success. On his third pass, while he was heading toward the houses, he tripped over his own shoelace. Bending down to retie it, he dropped his light to the ground, in order to free his hands.

It was from this vantage point that he saw it. The beam of his light fell directly across it, illuminating it clearly. As he reached for the yellow hair tie that lay half concealed beneath the leaves, he leaned forward. Snagging the tie from the ground, he swept the area with his light. Quickly, he noticed the brush had been trampled in places. Following a barely discernable trail made up of broken branches, Sam walked deeper into the forest, pushing his way through the undergrowth.

At last, the trail ended. As he swept his flashlight across the leaf-covered ground, he kept his eyes peeled for some sign of what had happened. Sam couldn't help but wonder if the young girl's body was lying near, her soul forever bound to seek revenge.

It was then that Sam's foot brushed against something solid. He dropped to the ground, taking a knee and began scrabbling in the dirt with his hands. As his long fingered hands worked the soil, he felt the edge of something hard and plastic. It took about five minutes of digging for Sam to realize what he'd found.

One hand began to trace the familiar outline of a sneaker, the other had already dialed, placing a call to Dean. Sam grimaced, when as expected he found that a foot still occupied the sneaker. Not wanting to panic Dean, Sam took a step back and a couple of deep breaths before his brother answered the phone.

"Sam what's up? You calling to tell me you won't be home tonight, you dog."

"Dean."

"What's wrong Sam, where are you?"

"I'm fine Dean." Sam stared at his sneakers, leave it to Dean to know something was wrong simply by the tone of his voice.

"Sam, where are you?"

Sam squeezed the bridge of his nose, he knew his brother was probably already heading toward the employee quarters. "Stop Dean. Stay by the creek. I'm fine. I found a body in the woods near the employee housing. I haven't gotten to far yet, but I'm thinking it's our ghost."

"What the hell, Sam. Do you often take dates to dig up bodies? No wonder you're always alone."

Sam couldn't help but grin at Dean's words and the obvious relief in his brother's tone. "No, I was walking toward Karen's and I just got this feeling, so I started looking and found a trail. Next thing I know I'm standing over a body."

"Alright, Kiddo, and you think it's the missing girl?"

Sam grimaced for a moment. "I guess I should check, huh. Hold on."

Sam reached out and carefully began clearing away the dirt, leaves, and debris that covered the poor girl. As he began to uncover her, he mainly focused on exposing her head. As the victim began to emerge, Sam felt a burst of fear clench his heart.

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Dean held the phone to his ear, his gaze turned toward the bridge, his mind focused on his brother. He hated that he couldn't leave the creek in order to go after Sam, after all, the kid shouldn't have to be the one to dig up some poor dead girl. As silence reigned, Dean took a step closer toward the walkway that would take him to Sam.

It was then he heard Sam through the phone. "Aw, no. No it can't be, Dean."

Dean took off, his feet barely touching the earth. The phone shoved so tightly against his ear that he was nearly deaf to any other sound. Dean surged forward as Sam once again called out to him.

Although Sam hadn't said, Dean had a feeling he already knew what his brother had found. He just didn't understand how was it possible. How could it be that yet another girl, Sam had come to care for could be dead?

As his feet pounded along the path, Dean began to call out to Sam. With his phone still pressed against his ear, he was unable to pinpoint where Sam was. Reluctantly, Dean broke the connection and started toward the sound of his brother's voice.

Dean slowed only, when he had reached his brother. In the dim light cast by the brothers' flashlights, Dean could see what was obviously the dead body of a young girl. She laid facedown, her long dark hair obscuring her face.

Dean rested a hand on Sam's shoulder, and dropped down beside him. His gaze riveted on Sam's face.

"Sammy."

As Sam turned to face him, Dean flinched in sympathy. Although his eyes were dry Sam's expression said it all, he was done. His brother couldn't bear the pain any longer.

Dean nodded, and reached one hand toward the girl. As he did, he realized his hand trembled. Drawing a breath, he pulled himself together, and forced himself to be strong for Sam. As he drew back the young girl's hair, he noted that she hadn't been dead for long, an hour at the most. Careful to do no more than brush her face, Dean, looked to Sam for confirmation.

"Oh, God. It's not her." Sam dropped his shaggy head into his hands.

Dean couldn't help the sudden burst of relief that shot through him. His voice was rough with emotion when, he said, "Good, get up, Sam."

Sam stared at Dean in surprise. "We have to call the police."

"No, Sam, we don't. We've already gotten as close to the police as I intend to tonight. I'm not about to be hauled in for questioning, and leave someone else to die." Dean stood and hauled an un-resisting Sam to his feet.

Dean shone his light around the makeshift grave. He understood, even if Sam refused to, just what would happen if they were tied to this murder in any way. Carefully, he brushed over their footprints, the best he could. He was probably covering over any evidence of the actual killer, but as he planned to catch the bastard himself, he didn't let the idea stop him.

As he made his way back through the trees, he regretted the fact that both he and Sam had pretty much blundered their way into the woods. It made it impossible to cover any other tracks they'd made. Careful to keep one hand on Sam, guiding his brother before him, Dean was glad when they finally emerged from the woods. They stood hidden in the shadows until Dean felt it was safe to continue down the path.

"What now? We can't just leave her there."

Dean regretted what he was about to say more than Sam would ever know.

"Now, we do nothing. She's dead, calling the police won't change that." Dean kept a firm grip on Sam's arm. He was hoping that his, six feet three inch, baby brother didn't decide to dig his heels in. Dean knew that if he did, there would be no getting him moving.

Dean nearly stopped in his tracks at Sam's agreeing nod. "You're right."

"I am?" Even in the poor lighting, Dean could see the misery in his brother's face.

"Yeah, they'd never believe we had nothing to do with it. And the real killer would go unpunished."

Dean nodded his agreement. "Right, for now we have to get back to the creek. God only knows what ghost girl's done by now."

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Sam followed his brother, his mind focused on the girl he'd found. His mind sifting the facts they'd gathered. "Dean, describe the ghost girl."

"She would have been about five foot six inches, long, brown hair, dark eyes, full lips."

Sam frowned in thought as he listened to the description. "Okay, now the dead girl."

Dean kept moving across the park, careful to keep to the shadows. "Five feet seven inches, long, brown, hair..." Dean's voice trailed off, as he realized what he'd said. "Crap, you're thinking serial killer, damn."

"Yeah, it makes sense both girls were the same age and similar in looks. From the glimpse I got of the ghost girl, it looked as if she had been stabbed, same with the girl in the woods.

Dean threw his hands up. "Fuck."

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "That about sums it up."


	7. Chapter 7

"Dean, we need to call the police

"Dean, we need to call the police. If it is human, we can't stop him."

"You wanna make a bet. We can stop the son of a bitch alright," Dean snarled, as he stood studying the riverbank where the Rusalka had claimed her victims.

Sam frowned at his brother's words, keeping his eyes peeled on the creek, he answered, "We're not killers, Dean. We'll take care of the Rusalka and leave the killer for the cops."

"Really, Sam, we're not killers. Last time I checked we kill all sorts of monsters, and this guy, whoever he is, is a monster." Dean's hard gaze met Sam's.

Sam knew there was no point in arguing with his brother. For now, their priority was to prevent any more deaths. "So what now?"

"Now? Well for now, you're going to stay here and watch for our ghost girl. I'm going to do a sweep of the park, whoever this guy is he's got to be doing his killings at night." Dean stared hard at the creek for a moment. "What I don't get is why no one's reporting these girls missing. I mean after all, we know of at least two, and if we're right there maybe more."

"I don't know, Dean," Sam said, hesitantly, considering if he should say more. "You know people leave home all the time and never return, no calls, nothing."

Dean grimaced. "It's not the same, Sam. You may not have called, but that doesn't mean I didn't know where you were and what you were doing. If you had needed me, I would have been there," Dean confessed, his eyes staying determinedly fixed on the creek.

"I know, man." Sam stared at his brother, once again surprised by the fact that his family had stuck by him, even if he hadn't known itat the time.

"Yeah, well you walked out in anger, Sam. I got that, it didn't stop me from keeping tabs on you. You're my kid brother." As Sam opened his mouth to speak, Dean held up a hand. "Stop right there. I have no interest in discussing it anymore and I sure as hell am not going to hug you, Francis."

Sam couldn't quite contain his grin, leave it to Dean to admit just how much he cared, only to finish the admission with an insult. "Alright then, I'll stay here and watch out for the Rusalka. I'll meet you back at the cabin at sunrise."

"Sounds good, cell's on if you need me," Dean said, as he turned and walked away.

Sam watched as his leave, the parks floodlights shining down on his leather clad back. He couldn't help but feel comforted by the thought that Dean had always been there for him, would always be there. Turning back toward the riverbank, Sam kept his gaze peeled for the vengeance spirit.

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Frank stood and watched the cabin, though he was certain it was empty, he wanted to be sure. After all, even the smallest mistake would find him back in jail, rotting as his life passed him by. There was no way he was going to let that happen this time.

He'd watched from the woods, as first the younger man had stumbled onto the body he'd hidden. Then the hard-eyed older man, the one that had worried Frank so much earlier, had come in response to the other's call. He'd been unable to hear their words, however, he had quickly realized that they hadn't called the police, that in and of itself had made Frank worry.

So, he'd followed the younger man as he returned to the river where he'd killed the first girl. There Frank sat for a while, watching as the kid played sentry.

Finally, once he'd been sure the shaggy-haired youth was going to stay put, Frank had searched out the other one. Unable to find him in the vast space the park encompassed, he'd gone back to the cabin and had waited for a while, making sure no one was home.

Once he'd determined the cabin was empty, he'd used his maintenance key to open the door. Moving swiftly Frank had searched the room, looking for some clue as to who his opponents were. At first he hadn't found anything of importance, until he stumbled across a hunting knife. Though more ornate and made of what appeared to be silver, it was similar enough to his to serve his purpose. Careful not to ruin the prints that were already on the knife, he picked it up with the edge of his shirt and made his way out the door and into the approaching dawn.

Tonight would be the night, all he needed was one last victim. He would plant the knife and call the police himself, electively leading them toward the men. As a stranger to town, with his prints all over the knife and the dead girl in hand, the older man would be quickly buried in the investigation and would be unable to prove that it had been Frank all along. In the resulting confusion, Frank could pick up and leave with no one following his trail.

He was certain, wherever he ended up next, he would finally be able to control the voices. That he'd be able to finally live his life in peace. Heading back to his cabin, he quietly let himself in. Carefully he buried the knife in his footlocker and relocked the trunk. Lying down on the bed, he stretched out content that within a matter of days he would once again be free.

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Dean stood and watched as the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky. Satisfied that for the moment at least, the killer would be forced to go to ground, he headed for the cabin. Rubbing a hand wearily across the back of his neck, he set his mind to conjuring fantasies of a real shower, followed by a real bed. Rather than the bug infested, sprinkler with a two-minute timer, and one of the seven dwarf's cots he knew awaited him. He made a promise to himself, as soon as this job was done he was headed for the first motel he could find.

He'd patrolled the park from one end to the other all night and had found nothing of interest. So, either this mystery man was good, better than him good, which he doubted, or he was finished for the night. Either way, finding the guy was going to be nearly impossible. The park employed hundreds and over half of them were men. Sam's description of a tall man in a uniform wasn't going help narrow the field much.

As he approached the cabin, he noticed Sam sprawled out on one of the rocking chairs that sat on the small porch. Careful to make no noise, Dean made his way toward him. Sam leaned back in the chair, his head lolling to one side, his mouth slightly open.

Once Dean was within an inch of his brother, he dropped a fist onto Sam's chest mimicking the psycho shower scene. Sam jumped a mile, his cry of surprise echoing around the quiet morning. As he jerked, the chair tipped all the way back, toppling Sam to the ground.

Dean unable to control it, burst into laughter, holding his sides he bent over at the waist gasping for breath, as he laughed.

"What the hell, Dean?" Sam cried, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes, as he struggled to get his legs untangled from the chair.

Dean finally gathered himself, his laughter trailing off, he said, "Sorry, Sam, couldn't resist." Holding out a hand to help Sam up, Dean had to laugh even more when his brother refused to take it. "Come on, I couldn't help myself. No reason to get your panties in a bunch."

Sam glowered at Dean and pushed himself to his feet. "My panties aren't in a bunch. I mean...you just startled me, that's all." Sam gestured toward the cabin door. "I forgot my key. Can you open the door?" Sam blew out a breath, as Dean continued to laugh. "Just open the door, Chuckles."

Dean, still laughing, held up his hand in surrender. "Sure thing, Sam." Pulling out his key, Dean unlocked it. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, he stepped inside and flicked on the light switch.

"Holy shit," Dean breathed out, as he looked about the cabin's interior. As Sam stepped up beside him, he exchanged a glance with his brother. "Well, this isn't good."

The room had been searched and searched thoroughly. Their duffle bags holding their clothes and weapons had been emptied. Their mattresses' had been pulled off the bunks, and everything they owned was scattered from one end of the small cabin to the other.

"Well, I guess that answers that," Dean said, as he moved forward, grabbing their weapons as he went.

Sam stood frowning in anxiety. "What's that?"

"This is proof the killer knows you saw him, he's trying to get the jump on us. Hell, what am I saying, he's got the jump on us already."

"Can you tell if he took anything?" Sam asked, as he began separating his clothes from Dean's.

Dean began filling the weapons bag once more, careful to look for anything that might be missing. It took only a moments searching for Dean to realize something was gone. Turning to his brother, he said, "My knife."

Sam began frantically rifling through the mess, determined to find Dean's knife. It took only an instant, before he gave up and stared at Dean. "Shit, Dean, it's gone, he's trying to set you up. What are we going to do?"

Dean couldn't believe this mystery man had gotten the jump on him. "We're going to find the son of a bitch before he has a chance to use that knife on some other woman."

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Karen had just stepped out of the shower, when she heard a knock on the cabin door. Quickly pulling on a bathrobe, she headed for the front door. She could not help but wonder who would be knocking, at eight in the morning. Today was her day off, her plans now that Sam hadn't met her after work as hoped, were to catch up on her laundry. Wow, she thought as she moved to open the door, she was living the life.

Pulling it open, she stood warily in the doorframe. The early morning sun, created a halo of light over the occupant on the front porch. Surprised, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Sam stepped forward and smiled a bit uneasily. "Hi, Karen, can we talk?"

Karen nodded and stepped back, ushering Sam inside. "Sure."

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Sam hated to lie to the woman before him, but he could see no alternative. To tell the truth would open up too many questions and the answers would serve only to drive Karen away. Stepping into her house, he followed her into the kitchen. Within minutes, he was sitting at the kitchen table, with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Just give me a minute to get dressed, I'll be right back," Karen said, as she stepped out of the room.

Sam, unable to sit any longer, stood up and began pacing around the kitchen. Moving toward the white refrigerator, he glanced at the pictures that graced the front. It took him only a moment to spot a group of four girls, standing before one of the parks rides, arms linked as they smiled brightly at the camera. Sam easily spotted Karen, staring intently he also recognized one of the other girls. Though her face looked different, shining and bright in the sunshine, he was sure it was the murdered girl he'd found last night. Removing the picture from the fridge, Sam sat back down and waited for Karen to emerge.

Karen was as good as her word. Within minutes, she was back, dressed in shorts and a tank top, her hair hanging long, and loose. Pouring herself a coffee, she looked at the picture that Sam held in his hands. "That was taken earlier this summer. The other girls are my roommates."

Sam nodded and pointed toward the other dark-haired girl. "When was the last time you saw this girl?"

Karen frowned a bit at Sam's question, but answered, "Tricia? Yesterday morning. She works one of the snack stands, our schedules are different."

"She didn't come home last night?" Sam still couldn't drag his gaze away from the photo in his hand.

"What's going on Sam? What's with the interrogation? I'm not sure if Tricia came home, sometimes she stays with her boyfriend."

Sam could tell he was beginning to make Karen nervous. Smiling he said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you yesterday, Karen, but I'm here investigating a missing persons report." Sam dug out the badge he carried in his jacket and flashed it. "I'm a detective."

"I don't understand, are you saying Tricia's missing, because I'm sure she's just holed up with Brian?" Karen backed away from Sam.

"I was here investigating Sandy Davis' disappearance, and now I have reason to believe that Tricia may also be missing," Sam kept his voice low and soothing, he could see that Karen was having a hard time keeping up.

"Sandy Davis, is missing. I heard she took off, but I just assumed she got a job working somewhere else for the summer?" Karen chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "You're a cop and you didn't tell me? I thought, I mean I kinda figured you..."

Sam stood and approached her, careful not to startle her. "I do, I mean, I am. Let me start over. I am a cop and I couldn't say anything that might jeopardize my case, but also, I was, I mean, I am..." Sam's voice trailed off.

Karen couldn't help but smile at Sam's obvious embarrassment. "Yeah, that's much clearer. Okay, so I can understand why you think Sandy's missing, but why Tricia?"

Here was the tricky part, thought Sam, how to make her believe that Tricia was missing without revealing what he'd found in the woods. "We don't know that she's missing, not for sure. But, you've confirmed she didn't sleep here last night and we know she didn't arrive for work this morning. And honestly, we believe that there's a connection between Sandy and Tricia."

"What connection? As far as I knew Sandy and Tricia didn't even really know each other." Karen paused for a moment, reaching out she picked up the picture and stared hard it, finally she spoke, "Except, they both looked alike." Karen's gaze slid to Sam. "Right, they both looked alike, the same height, hair, and coloring."

Sam nodded, hoping that Karen would stop there, he really didn't want her to take her reasoning any farther, but he could see by her face it was too late. He placed a hand on the young girl's arm and smiled reassuringly up at her. "Hey, it's okay. We're not even positive there is a connection, it's just a best guess at this point. We really need more information before we can be sure."

Karen's voice quivered, as she asked, "What kind of information?"

"Well, I need to verify some facts, and I remembered you saying you have internet access here." Sam indicated the bag he'd brought with him containing his laptop. "I was hoping I could use it."

Karen smiled slightly. "Sure. So that's it, huh. You came here to borrow my internet connection?"

Sam met Karen's smile and matched it, "Yeah. That's the only reason."


	8. Chapter 8

Dean glanced down at the ID in his hand

Dean glanced down at the ID in his hand. Although it was, in fact, a picture of him, the hard plastic card held no actual information, just an official looking seal and a few vague words. Basically, just enough to past muster if he flashed it quick. As he approached the woman that sat behind the large wooden desk, in the administration office, he quickly flashed her smile and his badge. "Jim Morrison with the IRS. We are in the process of determining whether we need to audit the park. I'd appreciate it if you could hand over your employee records for the last ten years."

The look of sheer panic that overcame the older woman's face at Dean's words, made him instantly regret his cover story. Holding up a hand, trying to stem the tide of words she was now spewing, Dean said, "It's okay we're just doing some preliminary research." Dean glanced at the nameplate that rested on the desk, "Um, Deloris."

Deloris clutched a hand to her heart as her eyes flooded with tears. "Oh, I'm going to be blamed for this I just know it, but I swear it's not my fault. I've told him over and over again that I shouldn't forge his signature. But he says to me, 'Deloris, who's gonna know.' Who's gonna know the IRS I said, but does he listen to me, no."

Dean had a sudden urge to cover his ears, Deloris' high-pitched whine was nearly enough to shatter glass. Hoping to calm the overwrought woman, Dean said, "That's not why I'm here. Really, please if you could just calm down."

As Deloris continued to flit about the office gathering paperwork and bemoaning the fact that she'd soon be in jail, Dean dropped down into a chair set along the window. As he waited for the information, he glanced out at the bustling crowds that lined the fairway.

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Karen watched appreciatively as Sam sat at her kitchen table. She couldn't help but laugh as he, again, cursed the slowness of her dial-up connection.

Glancing up with a frown, his smile slowly grew to match hers. "Sorry," he said with a half-shrug. "Dean's always saying I have no patience when I'm researching."

Karen nodded, trying to hide the confusion she felt. Dean's name had been mentioned several times and with a great deal of familiarity. Not sure how to broach the subject, Karen began, "So, you and Dean, you've been partners for awhile?"

Sam didn't even glance up from the screen. "Forever," he answered with the same weary tone couples used when they've been together for years.

Huh, thought Karen, trying a different tact. "I guess you guys must love it when a case is over, you know, get a little breathing room from each other."

Sam grimaced at the information before him. "No, we're actually always together. Hey, listen, I think I found something."

Karen was torn between questioning Sam further or hearing what he'd found out. Finally, she decided she didn't really want to hear anymore in regards to Dean. "What do you have?"

"Well I ran a search across the country on woman fitting the missing girl's description, cross referenced with stab wounds all within the last forty years."

Karen couldn't help but be impressed with the handsome man's thoroughness. "Wow, you really do know what you're doing."

Sam grinned. "Yeah, well in my line of work, I unfortunately get a lot of practice..." A loud banging on the screen door, followed by a voice bellowing his name interrupted Sam.

"Sam, you in there?" Karen heard a man call out.

Sam shot Karen an embarrassed look as he moved to open the door. In only a few minutes he was back, hissing in a low voice to a handsome green-eyed man. Karen couldn't help but feel her hopes crash as she caught the last bit of the conversation.

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Dean called out, "Sam, you in there?" his voice edged with impatience. Sam had left the cabin nearly four hours ago. If it had been any one other than Sam, he would have assumed that a little nookie had caused the delay. With his brother though, Dean was sure it was a lack of information that was slowing him up. Just as Dean raised a hand to knock once more, Sam stormed to the back door and flung it wide open with a growl.

"What are you doing here? I told you I'd meet you at the information desk. You're supposed to be checking out the staff." Sam motioned Dean in, continuing his tirade in a low hiss. "How am I supposed to find anything out with you breathing down my neck?" Sam led the way back to the kitchen.

Dean lifted a brow in irritation, reaching out one hand, he stopped Sam. "I was there, there's too many men, any of whom could fit your description. We need something concrete on this guy before he strikes again."

Sam's anger with his brother fled instantly. "I know. Come on in, I think I have something." Sam led the way.

As they walked Dean shouldered Sam, "Bitch."

Sam's response was heartfelt, "Jerk."

Dean followed his brother into the kitchen, a flash of smile for Karen. His heart wasn't in it though, to him Karen was a victim waiting to happen. Dean's mind went back to his stolen knife, it didn't take a genius to figure out it was stolen for a reason, and he knew just what that reason was. Knowing what was going to happen didn't help. Regardless of the fact he knew he was being set up, regardless of the fact he knew another girl was in danger, he could do nothing about it.

Frustration tinted his words as he turned toward Sam, "Okay, little brother, time's up. What've you got?"

Sam shook his dark shaggy head, his gaze focused once more on the computer. "Frank Thompson was arrested in Tucson, Arizona in 1987, he killed his girlfriend. Her name was Maria Romero, she was eighteen years old, Frank was thirty. From everything I could find out, he believed she was stepping out on him, he confronted her, and they fought. She was found dead the next morning with seven stab wounds, he was arrested later that night."

"Okay, if he was arrested then how's he our guy?" Dean asked, his frown deepening. He hated dealing with people, it was one thing for a spirit to kill, they were confused and limited in thoughts and feelings. But people, it was a crap shoot, they did what they did and no amount of remorse or anger could justify it in Dean's book.

"Yeah, I think he is. Frank escaped a maximum security mental institution eleven years ago. They never found him, he just disappeared." Sam sat back and rubbed his eyes.

Dean could see the fatigue etched into his brother's face. He knew if he bothered to look, he would find that same expression on his own face. They were both tired, and worn thin. Add to it the pressure of finding the killer before he struck again, and basically it was a miracle he and Sam weren't in lock down in some place with white padded walls. "So you think old Frank made it all the way here and is re-living his greatest moment?"

"Could be, I tracked a string of missing girls, all fitting Maria's description over the last eleven years. It seems as if he only hits every three or four years, bodies are never found, the girls are just listed as missing." Sam turned toward Dean once more, his face set in anger. "Last place four girls went missing was in Ohio. Every one of them lived in or around Sandusky, Ohio, home of the famous Cedar Point Amusement park"

Karen spoke up for the first time, "You mean he's been working amusement parks killing girls?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean, I found accounts of missing girls from Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan. Near as I can tell, ten or eleven girls altogether."

"No more girls will go missing, we're gonna find the bastard and put him down like the dog he is." Dean didn't bother to hide his rage. Twelve girls and no one realized it, and even if they did stop Frank, no one would ever know what had happened to those girls.

"We will, Dean, we'll stop him." Sam's words were a promise.

"So how are we gonna figure out who it is, I mean, he must be using a different name? I don't know anyone named Frank," Karen asked her eyes wide with fright, she'd unconsciously stepped closer to Sam, her arm brushing his shoulder.

DeanwatchedKaren for a moment, his eyes narrowed as he began to formulate a plan. They needed something to draw this guy out, they needed bait. There really wasn't any other option, they were out of time and if they failed some poor girl would die.

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Sam sat conscious of the exact point where Karen's arm brushed his, even through his worry and fear for her safety and that of the other girls, he couldn't help the attraction he felt for her. Unable to meet her direct gaze as she waited for him to come up with some brilliant plan, he snuck a peek at his brother.

Sam was up in a flash, nearly knocking Karen over in the process. He knew the expression on his brother's face, he knew what Dean was considering. "No Dean, you're not using her for bait." Sam pushed Karen behind him, crossing his arms, he met his brother's gaze with a glare. "I won't let you, Dean. I'm not going to let you put her in danger, this guy's insane, we don't know how he'll react."

"Oh, I think we've got a pretty good idea, Sam. We let this guy go any longer and someone's going to die, and I'm betting I'll be set up to take the fall." Dean's gaze never wavered. "You think I want this, Sam? I don't, but this guy has to be stopped and it has to be now."

Sam couldn't believe it was coming down to this. "I won't allow it, Dean. No way, after Madison do you really think I'm going to put her in danger. I won't do it." Sam knew he sounded like a five year old, but he refused to back down. There was no way he was going to allow Karen to be dangled over this killer as bait. No way he was going to take part in the death of another woman.

Dean's voice dropped an octave, his hard gaze softened just a bit. "Sam, that wasn't your fault. You did everything you could for Madison. As for now, we have no other choice, we have to stop this guy."

Sam suddenly felt small hands shoving at his back. Sliding over a bit, he stepped back at the glare on Karen's face as she moved to stand face to face with the brothers.

"Excuse me, but it's my life you're talking about here. I'm a grown woman, I can make my own decisions." Karen folded her arms and glared at the brothers, her posture mirroring Dean's stance.

"Karen," Sam began, only to have her angry glare cut off his words.

"Don't Karen me, I just found out this bastard killed a friend of mine, not to mention countless others. What kind of person do you think I am? Did you think I'd just sit here safe and sound while he goes on killing?" Karen turned to Dean. "You tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it."

Sam could see the admiration in Dean's face as his brother turned to meet the young

girl's gaze. "No, I won't allow it. It's too dangerous."

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Dean watched as Sam stormed out of Karen's kitchen, he knew how his brother felt, he just didn't see they had any choice. Dean moved toward the kitchen window and watched his brother, his shoulders hunched against his emotions, head off down the path.

"I want to help, Dean." Karen's low voice caught Dean's attention.

"I know you do, Sam understands, he's just worried. He's lost people he cares about because of what we do, he just doesn't want you hurt." Dean's eyes strayed once more toward the window. His mind was already working and discarding plans, trying to figure out the best way to keep Karen safe and to trap the bastard.

"So what now, do I just wander the park and hope he chooses me?" Karen asked, the trembling of her hands belying her matter of fact voice.

Dean stared hard at Karen. "No, we do this, we do it right. I'm not going be responsible for you getting hurt. You'll do what I say or so help me God, I'll leave you tied up to your bed until it's over."

Karen held up her hands in supplication. "No problem, I'm not looking to end up dead."

Dean grinned and gestured toward the coffee pot. "How about a cup of coffee and we'll sit down and figure out how to keep you alive and catch the bad guy."

Karen smiled and nodded. "Sounds good, but..." here she hesitated not sure if she should continue. Looking out the kitchen window, she continued, "what about Sam?"

"Sam'll come around, he knows there's nothing else to be done. He'll be back." Dean's eyes strayed toward the window, he couldn't fight down the chill of unease that was crawling down his spine. He found himself wishing Sam was here now, after all, there was a killer on the loose. A killer that knew the Winchesters were onto him. A killer that knew what Sam looked like.

Dean was heading for the door before Karen had finished pouring his coffee. "I'm gonna take a rain check on that coffee. I wanna check out a couple things before it gets much later." Dean was at the front door, when he turned and said to an obviously confused Karen. "Lock this door and every window in the house. Do not leave and most of all, don't answer the door for anyone. Do you understand, no one, not even if you recognize them? Sam and I'll be back in an hour."

Karen nodded, despite her wide eyes and pale skin, her voice was steady. "I won't, not for anyone but you or Sam."

"I'll be back." Dean found himself hurrying out the door, pausing only until he heard the lock snub into place. Taking off at a run, he pulled out his cell and dialed Sam's number. As he waited for an answer, he reached the park, despite the early hour the place was packed. Dodging bawling children, scowling teenagers and even the occasional dog, he searched for his brother.

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Karen carefully flipped the bolt home on the door, resting against it for a moment she thought over everything she'd learned over the past couple of hours. Her emotions were running the gambit from anger to grief to fear and even a bit of relief.

Anger toward the man that was doing the killing, anger at the people that had allowed him to live after he'd killed the first time. Grief for her friend and the countless, nameless girls he'd killed and the families that would never now just what had happened to the missing girls. Fear, fear was in the forefront at the moment. Fear for herself, fear for any other girls that were near that fit the description and fear for the men that were trying to keep her safe. Finally, in the back of her mind, probably one of the few things that was helping to keep her sane, was the thought that Sam and Dean were brothers. That his claim yesterday to that fact hadn't been part of their cover. Suddenly, the brothers relationship seemed obvious, Karen had a sister and she knew what it was to fight, nag and love a sibling.

Karen sighed and pushed away from the window, starting in the kitchen she systematically began closing and locking every window in the small house. Relatively sure that her roommates wouldn't return till late evening, Karen sat at the table and began to read through the research Sam had left regarding Frank Thompson.

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Frank eyed the small cabin from the nearby cover of an old jalopy that had been left by some former employee. He sat slumped in the driver's seat, his gaze focused on the house, taking no notice of the cracked leather seat upon which he sat. The pungent smell of mold, damp and something more sinister also caused him no worries. After all, he'd been in much worse places in his life.

From his vantage point, he was able to see the door that the tall, lanky young man had entered hours ago. Frank had been trailing him since he and his brother had left the cabin that morning. He was thankful that he'd chosen to follow the younger man, rather than the older. After all, the young man had managed to lead Frank right to his next victim.

He found he couldn't stop the smile that twisted his lips as he thought about how well these young men were setting themselves up for a fall. After all, the knife with the older man's prints and now both men were in the house leaving their fingerprints all over a dead girl's home. Well, she technically wasn't dead yet, but really it was only a matter of hours.

At long last, Frank's vigilance paid off within a span of minutes, both men exited the house, one following the other. Frank watched as the older man took off at a run, toward the park. Though he was curious about what the two men were up to, he found it wasn't worth his attention. Really what did it matter, the girl would be dead and as Frank left town, he would be sure to tip off the police, making sure they set their sights on both men.

Frank settled back content to watch for a bit longer. He couldn't afford to have anyone interrupt him once he was inside the house.


	9. Chapter 9

Sam watched as Dean approached, he was unsurprised his brother had found him

Sam watched as Dean approached, he was unsurprised his brother had found him. After all, Sam really hadn't made it far. He'd headed for the main strip looking to walk off the anger and frustration that seemed to be overriding his instincts and had made it no further than the bench he currently occupied.

A river of people streamed by in the early afternoon sunshine intent on enjoying the park and its amusements. Sam had tried going with the flow, but after being run over twice, once by a stroller and the second by a little old lady on a motorized scooter, he'd given up. Unfortunately turning against the crowd had been about as effective as a fish swimming upstream. Oh, he could do it, but the pace was so slow it offered no therapy for blowing off steam.

So, at last unable to get anywhere he'd faced the inevitable and had taken a seat on a bench. As he sat, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees he waited for the inevitable. The inevitable, of course, being the sight of his brother tracking him down like he was a wayward child. It rarely failed to bring a grin to Sam's face to watch Dean make his way through a sea of humanity. His brother moved with a singular grace, never so much as brushing against the throng of people. It was as if to Dean, the people didn't even exist, his focus alone was centered on finding Sam.

If it was anyone else, Sam would have stood and made his presence known. With Dean, however, there was really no need. When it came to his little brother, Dean seemed to have a sixth sense that had yet to fail him.

As Dean approached, he scanned the crowd, at last locating Sam. Sam watched and waited for his brother to make his way toward him. It was as much a surprise to Sam as to Dean when someone knocked into his brother. His older brother deftly caught the teenager, that had been pushed into him, righting the kid with ease. However, even after the kid moved on his way, Dean stood still, looking over his shoulder allowing the crowd to make their way around him. Finally, Dean turned and resumed making his way to Sam.

"I've seen him. I know what he looks like," Dean exclaimed, anger clouding his features. "I saw the bastard the first day we were here. He bumped into me, I knew something was wrong at the time but couldn't put my finger on it."

Sam stood, frowning in thought. "You really think you know what he looks like?"

Dean nodded his eyes scanning the crowds that jostled and pushed their way past the brothers. "Yeah, I do."

Sam grinned. "Let's go then, the administration office has pictures of all its employees. We can locate him and let the cops handle it, Karen will stay safe, and the bastard'll be back behind bars where he should be."

The brothers moved into the pack, heading toward the administration offices, which of course seemed to be located in the opposite direction the crowd flowed. "Where's Karen?" Sam asked as he dodged and sidestepped his way through the people.

"She's at her house. I told her to lock herself in and open up for no one. She should be safe, Frank only seems to strike at night." Dean took the lead at a near run as they moved away from the main thoroughfare and the crowds thinned.

Sam nodded and moved into a jog to keep up with his brother. "Good, we'll find this guy, call the cops, and clear out before anyone can question."

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Dean followed Sam out of the office, lengthening his stride to keep pace with his brother. "Slow down, Dude. I know you're hot to see Karen, but there's no reason to come off as too eager, chicks like a bit of cool." Dean's joke got nothing more than a snort from his younger brother.

"We're getting out of here, Dean. We can't afford to be here when the cops start scouring this place for Frank." Sam picked up his pace a notch, heading toward the cabin they were renting.

Dean kept pace easily. "We have time to say goodbye, Sam. We can't just ditch without letting Karen know we found the guy."

"Dean, you're wanted by the feds, and the killer's got your knife. We can call Karen and tell her everything's okay, but then we're out of here." Sam's tone made it clear he meant it.

Dean shrugged, not willing to push the issue. After all, leaving the park and finding a motel with a shower was top on his list of things to do, if Sam wanted to leave, leave they would.

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Karen stood at the kitchen window, a cup of coffee in her hand, and watched the path that led to the park. Dean and Sam had now been gone close to two hours and in that time Karen had become more and more anxious. Taking a sip of her coffee, she grimaced at the cold brew. She doubted the two pots she'd already drunk were helping to settle her nerves.

Settle her nerves, there was a joke, as if her nerves could be settled when there was a killer on the loose. Setting aside her mug, Karen moved from the window determined to get herself under control. She moved toward the fridge and opened the door, peering into it's depths she decided to have a meal ready for the men when they returned.

Sam had called about an hour ago to tell her they had a lead on the killer. Both he and his brother were fairly optimistic that they'd be able to locate Frank before he could find another victim. Karen had faith in Sam. Even in the short time she'd known him, she found herself trusting him. As she began to dig through the fridge determined to find something special to feed the fellows, she heard a knock at the door.

Quickly she straightened and breathed a sigh of relief. With a gentle nudge to the fridge door, she was across the kitchen and into the entry in seconds. Without thought, she swung the door wide, expecting to find the two handsome brothers standing on her doorstep.

Instead, Karen had only a fleeting glimpse of a man, in a Knoebel's standard issue work uniform a green cap pulled low over his eyes, before he knocked her out with a blow to the temple.

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Sam stood on the porch and watched as Dean dropped their last bag into the trunk of the Impala. He'd called Karen earlier letting her know they were headed toward the administration offices to check on a lead. Since then, they'd identified Frank and had tipped the authorities to the man. They'd also left the information Sam had gathered on the other missing girls in Deloris's capable hands.

The brother's had intended to take off and stay out of sight until this evening. Sam figured a night spent at the creek should be enough to see if Frank's capture allowed Sandy's spirit to move on. But now, as he again listened to Karen's voice mail, he found himself worrying.

Dean looked up from the car's trunk and seemed to sense Sam's unease. Slamming the trunk, he faced Sam, and said, "Let's go check on her. No need to worry, I'm sure she's fine. There are undercover cops swarming the place."

Sam tucked his phone back into his pocket and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. You take off, I'll go check on her."

Dean arched a brow and snorted. "Like I'm leaving. No way, dude, let's go."

Sam stared hard at his brother. "You're joking right, I'm not going to let you wander the park while the police search for a man on a most wanted poster. Hello, you're on a most wanted poster."

Dean shrugged and started back down the dirt lane heading for the park. "I'm not leaving you, Sam, so you might as well save your breath. No one here's looking for me."

Sam stood on the porch half-tempted to knock his stubborn ass of a brother down. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he had a really bad feeling about Karen's unanswered calls.

"Time's wasting, Sam. Let's go."

Sam shook his head and took off after Dean, pulling his phone from his pocket once more. Another half-dozen rings later and he was again dumped into her voice mail.

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Karen awoke to the sound of Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars', recognizing her ring tone, she went to answer the phone. It was only as she tried to move that she came fully awake. At first, she couldn't figure out why her arms wouldn't move, it took only a bit of wiggling to figure out her hands were tied behind her back.

It was then the last couple of hours came crashing back along with a staggering headache. It hadn't been Sam at the door as she'd expected, instead it'd been a man. Well Karen assumed it was a man, after all, she had only a moment to register surprise before hit with blinding pain and then nothingness.

Forcing her eyes open, she glanced around and tried to get her bearings. She was lying on her side, her arms twisted painfully behind her, her cheek rested on a bed of damp leaves. Wiggling about, she quickly realized her legs were also trussed, allowing her little movement. A glance about, showed her the huge concrete foundations that marked the footers for Rolling Thunder the roller coaster.

A moment later, the ground began to shake and a loud roaring noise set her fillings to vibrate. As she lay there, a car full of screaming riders flew by overhead, their attention so centered on the ride they would never notice her lying on the ground tucked up against the footers. Frank, or whatever his name was, had chosen well, screaming would do her no good as it was a busy afternoon and there were two cars running. That meant there was always a cart on the track. Plus, the white picket fence that surrounded the base of the ride would prevent anyone from seeing her.

As her phone again began to ring, Karen prayed that it was Sam and he would soon realize she was in trouble. She figured she had until nightfall before Frank came back, well at least she hoped.

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"No luck?" Dean asked, though he could tell by Sam's face the house had been empty. Sam had opted to go inside Karen's house, leaving Dean to keep watch.

"Nothing, no sign of a scuffle and the front door was unlocked."

Dean scanned the area, his mind racing. "No way she left voluntarily. She must have opened the door for him."

"Damn. We must have led him right to her."

Dean agreed the killer was making it personal. After all, he now had Karen, and Dean's knife. Frank would have no problem fading into the background as Dean was fingered for the deaths.

"We'll find her, Sam. I'm sure she's still alive, whatever he's planning hasn't happened yet." Dean wished he felt as confident as he sounded.

"What now, Dean? I mean everyone's searching the park for him. How do we find her?" Sam asked, sounding a lot less confident of their success.

Dean stared at the house for a moment before finally shrugging. "Did you try calling her cell inside the house?"

Surprise darted across Sam's features, followed by a grin. "No, come on." Sam turned and headed back toward the house.

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Karen was trapped in a nightmare, she decided. Really, there was no other explanation. People didn't get absconded by serial killers, bound and left under roller coasters. It just didn't happen. Well being kidnapped by serial killers probably happened every day. And, if she were honest she'd admit probably ninety-nine percent of the victims at some point ended tied up. But under a rollercoaster? Things like that just didn't happen.

Unable to lie on her side any more, Karen shifted slightly until she lay facedown. As the pressure on her bound arms eased a bit, she decided lying facedown on a year's worth of accumulated leaves was well worth it. Although, when the pins and needles began in her hands, she almost changed her mind.

Shifting a bit more, she found she could inch her way along the ground. Similar to the aptly named 'inch worm' she began to scoot across the forest floor. Able to move only a few inches at a time, Karen was fairly sure when Frank returned he'd find her about a foot from where he'd left her. But, really, she figured, what the hell? Why not give it a go. Having something to focus on, no matter how insignificant, far out weighed wallowing in fear and pity.

So Karen inched. Little by little she moved, keeping her focus on the ground before her. When exhaustion finally forced her to halt, she allowed herself to see just how far she'd come. Unable to see her watch, she could only guess that she'd been moving for about twenty minutes. By her calculations, she'd probably moved roughly a foot in that time. Karen let loose a snort, and once again rested her head against the spongy black dirt.

Tired beyond belief, she closed her eyes, the constant roar of the coaster, and the ground's vibration quickly lulled her to sleep.

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Karen groaned in pain as she came awake, she tried to flex her arms, but was unable to feel them. As she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, she tried to decide what she should do next. Her options at this point were pretty limited, she could either resume her inching crawl or she could simply lay there waiting for Frank to return.

Karen began inching once more. Slow and steady she wiggled her way across the ground her destination being the employee path that made it's way past Rolling Thunder. She refused to admit it would take her days to reach that path, instead she focused on doing what she could, anything more would overwhelm her.

She wriggled and slid her way across the ground intent upon her destination. At least, she did until the smell hit. Karen recognized the reek at once, it was the same disgusting, fetid smell, road kill had when left on the side of the road. She halted at once, her eyes watering from the smell, though a glance around showed her nothing that would be responsible for making such a stink. The thought that she was crawling her way through the dead and rotting carcass of some animal was enough to make vomit rise in the back of her throat.

Anxious to get clear of the smell, Karen struggled to her side. Once there she began to snake her way backward toward where she'd began. She made it less than a foot before she screamed. The sound so loud and primal it sounded more like an animal than human.

There, right in front of her, sticking up from the ground were three fingers. The fingers were grayish in color, bloated and in some places the skin had split showing the bone beneath. Unable to help herself Karen screamed again.

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"Hustle, Sammy, we gotta move." Dean stood at the kitchen window and kept careful watch. They'd been inside Karen's place for over two hours now and Dean was becoming decidedly nervous. After all, near as they could figure the killer planned to frame them for Karen's death. Being found inside her house wouldn't help their defense at all.

"I know, Dean," Sam replied as he cursed once more.

Sam had been working on hacking into Karen's cell phone provider, his intent to track the GPS locater in her phone. However, the slow connection had made what was a rather difficult process nearly impossible. Dean knew his brother's sense of guilt, combined with Sam's anger toward the serial killer wasn't helping.

"Got it, let's go." Sam glanced at the computer screen, memorizing the stationary dot that represented Karen. As he verified Karen's location on one of the park's maps, Dean began wiping down nearly every surface he could manage. Although he liked to give Sam a ration of shit about his lack of record, he had no interest in allowing Sam to become a wanted man. Plus, the wipe down would also help keep Dean off the radar.

Sam quickly gathered his gear, slinging his computer bag over his shoulder, he headed toward the door. "I've found her."

Dean gave the kitchen chair he'd used one last swipe and followed his brother out of the house.


	10. Chapter 10

For a moment, Karen couldn't stop screaming

For a moment, Karen couldn't stop screaming. The sound just kept coming, tearing at her throat, leaving her breathless and weak. Desperate to get away, she began edging herself backward from the corpse she knew must belong to those fingers. Finally unable to go any further, she rolled so she faced away from what she knew must lie under the blanket of leaves.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she panted through her mouth, trying to ignore the smell she now knew wasn't caused by any animal. Broken and battered, Karen could do little but pray, pray for the soul of the girl that lay close by, pray for the strength to survive and most of all she prayed Sam would find her before Frank.

As she lay, the screams of the riders seemed to fade into the background. In fact, everything began to fade as she began to slip away.

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Frank's hard grey eyes focused on the narrow wooden gate across the way. He studied the gate for only a moment before returning his attention to the open panel before him. He had no doubt that his secret was safe. He'd been careful to stay within the shadow of the Twister and so far, as he'd expected no one had noticed anything amiss. Everything was going according to plan, once nightfall fell, he'd be able to finish off the girl and leave a trail back to the short-haired man that was currently hunting him. If he was really lucky, the taller young man would also be considered an accomplice. By the time anyone could prove otherwise, Frank would be long gone and off the cops radar. Frank's mind wandered to this morning as he continued his repairs.

After knocking the young girl out, he'd carefully laid her on the living room rug. The rug though long past worn had been sturdy enough for what he needed. It had been harder than he'd expected rolling her up in the rug, but well worth it. Staring down at the bundle he'd made, he was sure no one would suspect what was inside.

With a heave and a grunt, he hefted the bundle up and onto his shoulder. Though the girl couldn't weigh more than one hundred and twenty pounds, Frank quickly realized he wouldn't be able to carry her far. Determined to get the girl gone, he amended his earlier plan and headed for the shadow of the Twister. He knew he could leave her at the base of the ride with confidence. He was the only one of the maintenance workers that had keys to the picket fence that surrounded the ride. The Twister was temperamental at best and Frank was the only one able to handle repairs on the big coaster.

Careful to avoid the main thoroughfare, Frank skirted the park arriving at the coaster in record time. The hardest part was juggling the weight of the girl on his shoulder while unlocking the padlock that hung from the gate. Frank was running out of time and he knew it, he'd been given a full list of work to be done today and if he didn't complete it, people might become suspicious. Frank had won employee of the year, three years running. He couldn't afford to all the sudden change his ways. He needed to be exactly what people expected or he risked turning the attention, from the two men he intended to frame, to himself.

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"You got it," Sam asked, standing as his brother emerged from the main office.

Dean waved a folded up map in his hand and nodded. "Got it."

Sam didn't even bother with a retort, he simply took the map from his brother and dropped down onto the bench he'd been waiting by. "Alright, it looks like from the coordinates we got from her cell, she's somewhere near the here."

Dean watched as his brother took a red marker and carefully circled the map that was normally reserved for the park's security. Rather than the generic park map handed out on every corner, this map listed everything in detail, from buildings used by the park employees to every path and access point. Dean looked up in surprise as the circle Sam made included the base of what was obviously the roller coaster in front of them.

Already up and moving, Dean called out to his brother, "I'll take the coaster, you take the out-lying area."

Sam didn't waste time arguing, instead he took off across the park his destination the point farthest from the roller coaster.

Dean ran through the crowd pushing people out of his way without a care. As he ran, he kept his eyes out for the bastard that had taken Karen. Though he had only a grainy employee ID photo to go by, Dean was sure he'd recognize the man by his dark-eyed stare alone.

He was certain he was going to be the one to find Karen, that was the main reason he'd decided to search the coaster area himself. Deloris had been very forth coming about Frank, however, the only truly interesting piece of information she'd offered was that he was the only maintenance men to have full access to the Twister.

Now the only question in Dean's mind was whether he'd find Karen alive or not. If she was still alive, Dean would contact Sam immediately. If she wasn't, well, if she wasn't Dean was sure the bastard that killed her would be doing his best to set them up.

Dean had no intention of putting his brother into that kind of danger. Sam's record was still clean and Dean had every intention of keeping it that way. As he approached the ride, Dean slipped off his coat and hung it over his arm, concealing the gun that was now in his hand. Slowing a bit, he began to merge with the crowd, slowly but steadily making his way toward the access gate that surrounded the ride.

Eyeing the gate and the lock, Dean slipped out of the crowd and followed the fence line. He continued around the fence trying to look as if he belonged there whenever he passed people. The majority of the people he passed were employees in uniforms, but some were also casually dressed making him feel a bit less conspicuous.

Eventually the path along the fence line veered off, and Dean found himself alone at last and in a wooded area. One glance at the fence before him and he judged it was too tall to climb. He'd need a boost.

Following the perimeter a bit more, he noticed a scraggly half-dead tree hanging over the fence. It took only a moment for Dean to catch hold of the lowest limb and to swing himself agilely into the tree. Grateful that the decrepit tree was stronger than it appeared, he continued to climb, angling toward the fence. At last Dean found himself with one foot on the branch that extended over the fence.

Knowing he had little choice in the matter, he began edging his way out onto the branch, using the one above it for balance. Dean felt the branch give way before he heard the loud crack of wood snapping. One minute his feet rested on the branch and the next he was dangling in the air.

Dean could pull himself up, but really then he'd be no closer to the ground. A quick glance down showed him that he was well over the fence line. Not seeing any other choice, Dean let go and dropped inside of the fence. Thanks to a rise on the other side of the fence Dean only fell about five feet, landing in a tuck and roll he came to his feet with a wince.

Now that he was inside the fence, he took the time to really study his surroundings. The roar of the coaster overhead threatened to shake his teeth loose and the never-ending screams of the riders only increased the ache in Dean's head.

The rollercoaster supports blocked most of Dean's view and provided any number of hiding spots. It really didn't help that the ground was covered in a layer of dried leaves and debris. Afraid of the time he might waste searching randomly, but unable to find another alternative Dean began his search.

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It was pure luck that Frank saw them. The older man had emerged from the main office only feet from where he stood. He was furious with himself for not noticing the younger man, even though the lanky youth had been sitting. Keeping his back to the pair as they conversed in low tones, Frank waited to see what they planned.

He had to admit he was surprised when the two split from each other and with only a moment to decide, Frank chose to follow the shorter man. He didn't have to follow him far. It was obvious the man was headed for the Twister. Frank was sure the lock on the gate would deter him, and he wasn't disappointed. He was however surprised when the man began to walk the fence line, his gaze intent on the barrier.

Frank didn't need to see anymore, he had no doubt the younger man was looking for a way in. Not bothering to follow him any longer, Frank headed for the gate with keys in hand.

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Sam was halfway to his starting point when a feeling of foreboding hit him. The feeling was so strong he stopped dead in his tracks. As he stood, battered on all sides by a crowd of people, Sam concentrated on the feeling. Up until this point, he'd been widely afraid for Karen. Her disappearance was yet another helping of guilt in a long line of servings. He was beginning to think he'd be better off becoming the monk that Dean always alluded to. After all, he already had the celibate part down, how much more could there be to it.

Now, though his feelings of fear weren't centered around the pretty brunette. Instead, Dean was the focus of his anxiety. Something was wrong with this brother, he had no doubt. The only question was whether it would risk Karen's life if he turned around and headed for Dean. Unable to shake the feeling, Sam turned on the spot and broke into a trot. Chances were that whatever trouble his brother was in involved Frank or Karen in someway.

Thanks to the crowd that continued to grow despite the setting sun, it took him nearly fifteen minutes to reach the Twister. As he stood in the shadow of the massive wooden coaster, he found himself wondering what his next step should be. Sam forced himself to remain calm and focused on the problem at hand. Whatever was going down would be out of sight. That ruled out the entrance to the ride and the surrounding area. Sam's gaze continued to scan the base of the coaster, coming back time and again to the white fence that surrounded the mechanics of the ride.

Though the gate sported a large and sturdy looking lock, Sam wasn't overly concerned. If he was right Dean was inside that fence right now, and if his older brother could pick the lock than Sam would have no trouble with it. Feigning indifference, Sam approached the maintenance gate. Trying to figure out how to pick the lock without drawing attention to himself, Sam moved to lean against the gate. As he put pressure on the entry he stumbled sideways barely stifling his cry of surprise. Well, that was easier than he'd expected, he thought as he carefully shut the gate behind him. He wondered if Dean was responsible for the easy entry.

A shiver of fear snaked up his back urging him to hurry. As he drew his gun, he focused on the area before him. A narrow macadam path made it's way from the gate deeper into the shadow of the Twister. Unsure of where to go, Sam opted to follow the fence line for a bit. He needed to get a feeling for the enclosure before he risked being seen.

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Karen forced her eyes open at the sound of footsteps. Despite the sunny day earlier, dusk was fully upon them and with it absence of sunlight the air was growing cooler by the minute. Unable to keep from shivering, Karen clenched her teeth hoping to cut down their chatter. Not that she thought Frank would have forgotten where he put her but for some reason it just seemed like a smart idea to make as little sound as possible. Tension rising along with an urge to vomit, Karen bit back a scream as a shadow stepped out from the nearest pillar and approached her.

"Karen, calm down."

At first the voice didn't even register with Karen, she was simply too afraid. It was only as the figure approached and repeated himself once again that Karen really listened.

"Dean?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of cold and fear.

Dean knelt in the damp leaves and gently touched her face. "Yeah, honey, it's me."

Karen closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, taking just a moment to thank God for miracles. Finally, the fear of Frank finding them forced her to respond with a shaky laugh, "I guess this isn't quite what you meant when you wanted to use me as bait."

Dean's deep throated chuckle sent a shiver of warmth through her. "Yeah, not quite kid. Now, on your feet."

Karen felt a tug at her wrists and then legs, and suddenly she was free. She couldn't help but moan in pain as the blood returned to her arms in a rush of fire. Dean lifted her in one smooth motion and set her on her feet. He kept one strong arm around her shoulders, offering her the strength she needed to get control. Finally, once she stood under her own steam, she shifted away slightly. Her voice cracking only a little, she said, "There's a body under the leaves." She pointed to where she'd seen the fingers. Though, the light was too dim to actually see them, Karen would never forget the spot.

Dean looked to where she pointed and then seemed to commit it to memory. "We'll take care of it, for now the only thing that matters is we get you out of here."

"Yeah, that would probably be best."

Karen froze as the voice behind her continued.

"Shame you didn't do it twenty minutes ago, you might actually have made it out of here alive."

Karen felt Dean stiffen, his entire body seemed to thrum with intensity. He turned to face the older man, a slight smile on his face.

"You going to stab me in the chest and bury me in the park, Frank?" Dean asked as he turned to face the man and made a come on gesture with his hand.

"Stab you? Now, why would I wanna stab you. I need you alive so you can take the fall for Karen here's death." Frank moved a step closer, the knife in his hand gleaming in the early evening moonlight.

Dean wanted to attack at the sight of his knife held in the hands of a murderer. Problem was, he knew that's what Frank expected. Shifting slightly to block Karen from the other man's view, he waited for Frank to make the first move.

A move was made all right though it wasn't what Dean expected. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow suddenly take shape as it launched itself toward the killer. Dean swore as he saw his brother tackle Frank to the ground. The two wrestled on the ground both fighting for the knife. Sam had the upper hand in size, but Frank mad with rage was fighting like a fiend.

Dean drew his handgun and waited with the weapon trained on the two combatants. He was afraid to fire for fear of hitting his brother. Worried that Sam might lose the struggle, Dean called out, "Sam, roll."

Sam released Frank and rolled, receiving a nick on the arm from the older man as he tried to get clear of him. Frank apparently realized what Sam was doing and clung to him. Dean satisfied that Sam was in the clear, took the shot, catching Frank in the shoulder

The force of the bullet knocked Frank off Sam, allowing the younger Winchester to gain his feet. Dean glanced toward his brother to ensure that he was okay. His moment's inattention was all Frank needed to gather himself. The killer whipped out his leg, catching Dean in the knees and knocking the other man to the ground. The force of the fall knocked Dean's gun out of his hand and into the blanket of leaves that covered the ground.

Dean struggled to keep the knife Frank wielded away from his face. With the other hand he searched the nearby area trying to find his gun. He had a knife in his boot, but with Frank lying on top of him there was little chance of reaching it.

At last, Frank must have decided that stabbing Dean wasn't going to happen. In one swift motion, he kneed Dean in the groin, gained his feet and took off. Dean felt a red haze of pain take over him as he folded in on himself. He knew he had to get up, to get the bastard before he could escape. Problem was he couldn't convince his legs to function quite yet.

"Dean?" Sam questioned as he dropped beside Dean, his one hand clenched to the wound on his arm.

"Gotta get him, Sam," Dean ground out before struggling to his feet. Forcing his body to move, Dean ran for the gate. There was only one way out, of that he was certain. As Dean stumbled out onto the fairway, he glanced left and right searching for any sign of the maintenance man. The crowd though hindering his progress was actually working in his favor. He could just make out Frank shoving and pushing his way through the crowd.

Dean set off to follow unsurprised when Sam appeared at his elbow. "We gotta get him, Sam. If he gets free, we'll never find him."

Sam nodded in agreement his gaze pinned to Frank. "We'll get him."

Dean and Sam ran slowly but surely closing the gap between them and the killer. Frank seemed to be having difficulty weaving his way through the crowd. The blood that covered his overalls was beginning to panic the crowd, plus he looked unsure of just where he could run to. His meandering path began to lead back toward the stream.

At last, he reached the creek bed, running down the side, he stumbled a couple times and fell to his knees in the shallow water. With a clear path through the campground before him, Frank seemed to catch his second wind. He was halfway across the water when he suddenly stopped.

Illuminated by the lampposts on the bridge, the brothers could clearly see just what had caught Frank's attention. The Rusalka floated between Frank and his path to freedom. Gone was the beautiful dark-haired woman that had approached Dean. In her place was an avenging spirit in full fury. Her face contorted by rage was splattered with blood and the stab wounds that had killed her seemed to be leaking blood. In a blink, the Rusalka was at Frank's side. The older man screamed in fear and tried to shrink back from the spirit. She was having no part of it, she grasped his head in her hands, forcing the man down, she pressed his face to the creek bed.

Frank struggled for what seemed forever as the spirit showed him no mercy. Hell, the man didn't deserve any as far as Dean was concerned. He and Sam stood on the riverbank watching until Frank's feeble movements stopped completely. Dean's eyes were then drawn back to the woman that hovered above the body. Her face was once again clear and serene, her body no longer riddled with stab marks. With one last glance toward the man that had killed her she faded out of existence.

"Damn," Dean breathed at a loss to say anymore.

"Yeah," Sam sighed, wincing as he glanced down at the wound on his arm.

"You okay?" Dean asked as he approached Frank's motionless body. A gleam of silver shined up from the shallow water. Dean bent over and picked up his knife. As he tucked it into his boot, he noticed Karen who stood slightly behind his brother, her expression grim.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, but you need to get out of here."

Dean nodded, his brother was right. He needed to be free and clear of the park before the cops showed. And after that display it was only a matter of time before they arrived. "Let's go then."

Sam seemed to hesitate a moment, glancing over his shoulder at Karen. Dean couldn't help but grin at the sight the two of them made. Both were filthy bruised and in general a real mess. He figured he probably wasn't looking much better himself.

"Listen, Sam. Why don't you stay and help Karen deal with the cops. She's going to need a story, and a good one at that" Dean reached into the pocket of his coat and extracted his keys. "I'm gonna take my baby and get the hell out of Dodge. Call me when you're ready to be picked up." Dean didn't give Sam a chance to disagree but headed for the path leading back to the campground.

"I may hang around for a bit, Dean. I mean if we've got no where else to go."

Dean turned on a dime searching Sam's expression. His brother's faint blush and the way he stood so close to Karen was a dead give-away. If that wasn't enough of a hint, Karen was staring up at Sam as if he were a drink of water after a long hot day. Dean grinned and nodded, "Fine by me brother means more hot water for me."

The end.


End file.
